Concept Artist at Mob Entertainment San Francisco, CA

Mob Entertainment; San Francisco (CA); Remote; USD 83,000 - 101,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit sharing

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) matching

FSA/HSA

paid time off

sick time

holidays

par parental leave

Job summary

Mob Entertainment is seeking a Concept Artist to define the visual identity of our horror IP from ideation through production in a fast-paced studio setting.

You will collaborate with Creative Direction, Game Design, Narrative, Environment and Character Art, and VFX to produce production-ready concepts for characters, creatures, environments, props, and key moments that heighten gameplay and storytelling.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional concept art experience in games, film, or entertainment.
• Shipped at least one AA title, or equivalent experience on a commercially released project.
• Exceptional portfolio demonstrating advanced visual development skills and design thinking.
• Strong understanding of horror visual language, mood, suspense, and psychological storytelling.
• Expert drawing, composition, lighting, perspective, anatomy, and color skills.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality concept art that establishes the visual direction for characters, creatures, environments, props, and interactive gameplay elements.
• Design memorable horror characters, monsters, and antagonists that support gameplay, narrative, and emotional tension.
• Develop mood paintings, lighting studies, color scripts, and cinematic key art that define atmosphere and tone.
• Produce environment concepts that support first-person gameplay, exploration, pacing, and environmental storytelling.
• Explore multiple visual directions quickly through thumbnailing and rapid iteration.
• Collaborate closely with Creative Direction to refine and maintain a cohesive visual style.
• Partner with Narrative and Design teams to ensure concepts reinforce story beats, gameplay mechanics, and player experience.
• Work alongside Character, Environment, and Outsourcing teams by providing production-ready callouts, orthographic views, material breakdowns, and design documentation.
• Help establish visual standards and mentor junior artists through feedback and art reviews.
• Balance creative ambition with production realities, delivering polished work under tight deadlines.
• Contribute to building and evolving the visual language of an established entertainment IP while introducing fresh ideas that fit naturally within the franchise.

Skills

Concept art

Portfolio

Horror visuals

Drawing & lighting

Communication

Collaboration

Tools

Unreal Engine

Blender

Maya

Photoshop

3D block-ins

Job description

Concept Artist

Mob Entertainment is a startup multimedia studio that is best known for our hit indie horror game "Poppy Playtime." Poppy Playtime is one of the hottest new properties in gaming, and our team is naturally expanding as our ambition expands. To give a taste of our brand's popularity, more than 100 billion YouTube views of Poppy Playtime related content have occurred since the game's launch 4 years ago.

As a Concept Artist, you'll help define the visual identity of our horror franchise from early ideation through production.

You’ll work closely with Creative Direction, Game Design, Narrative, Environment Art, Character Art, Animation, and VFX to develop compelling concepts that balance artistic vision with gameplay requirements.

This is a highly collaborative role for someone who can move quickly, iterate based on feedback, and produce exceptional visual development across characters, creatures, environments, props, and key moments.

What You’ll Do

• Create high-quality concept art that establishes the visual direction for characters, creatures, environments, props, and interactive gameplay elements.
• Design memorable horror characters, monsters, and antagonists that support gameplay, narrative, and emotional tension.
• Develop mood paintings, lighting studies, color scripts, and cinematic key art that define atmosphere and tone.
• Produce environment concepts that support first-person gameplay, exploration, pacing, and environmental storytelling.
• Explore multiple visual directions quickly through thumbnailing and rapid iteration.
• Collaborate closely with Creative Direction to refine and maintain a cohesive visual style.
• Partner with Narrative and Design teams to ensure concepts reinforce story beats, gameplay mechanics, and player experience.
• Work alongside Character, Environment, and Outsourcing teams by providing production-ready callouts, orthographic views, material breakdowns, and design documentation.
• Help establish visual standards and mentor junior artists through feedback and art reviews.
• Balance creative ambition with production realities, delivering polished work under tight deadlines.
• Contribute to building and evolving the visual language of an established entertainment IP while introducing fresh ideas that fit naturally within the franchise.

What We’re Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional concept art experience in games, film, or entertainment.
• Shipped at least one AA title, or equivalent experience on a commercially released project.
• Exceptional portfolio demonstrating advanced visual development skills and design thinking.
• Strong understanding of horror visual language, mood, suspense, and psychological storytelling.
• Expert drawing, composition, lighting, perspective, anatomy, and color skills.
• Experience designing creatures, environments, architecture, props, and characters.
• Ability to work from rough ideas through polished production-ready concepts.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with multidisciplinary teams.
• Comfortable receiving and incorporating feedback through rapid iteration.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple priorities independently.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on horror, thriller, dark fantasy, or suspense titles.
• Familiarity with established entertainment IP and adapting existing visual styles.
• Experience creating concepts for first-person gameplay.
• Knowledge of Unreal Engine workflows and real-time production pipelines.
• Experience with 3D block-ins using Blender, Maya, or similar tools.
• Understanding of cinematic composition and storyboarding.
• Experience mentoring artists or leading visual development initiatives.
• Familiarity with outsourcing pipelines and providing art direction to external partners.

Tools & Software

• Adobe Photoshop
• Blender, Maya, or equivalent 3D package
• Unreal Engine (preferred)
• Figma, Miro, or collaborative ideation tools
• Traditional sketching skills are a plus

Bonus Points

• Experience with collectible toys, animation, or transmedia entertainment.
• Creature design expertise.
• Knowledge of practical horror effects, cinematography, or production design.
• Experience creating promotional key art or marketing illustrations.
• Passion for horror games, horror films, and psychological storytelling.

Why Join Us

You’ll help shape the future of one of horror’s most recognizable franchises while working with a passionate, collaborative team that values creativity, speed, craftsmanship, and bold ideas. Your work will directly influence the look, feel, and emotional impact of millions of players' experiences.

Salary

• San Francisco, CA; New York City, NY; Los Angeles, CA; Seattle, WA; Boston, MA; & Seattle, WA DC Metropolitan Areas: $ 83,000- $101,000 USD annually
• Austin, TX; Denver, CO; Nashville, TN; Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Dallas, TX; & Miami, FL Metropolitan Areas: $72,000 - $88,000 USD annually
• All Other U.S. Locations: $61,000 - $75,000 USD annually

Benefits

• profit sharing
• medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) matching
• FSA/HSA
• paid time off
• sick time
• holidays
• and parental leave

#LI-Remote

Mob Entertainment is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and complies with all federal, state, and local laws prohibiting discrimination in employment. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, age, disability, military service, or any other protected class under applicable state or local law. Mob Entertainment also considers all qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with Fair Chance laws as well as any other applicable state and local laws.