Lead Environment Artist

Bonfire Studios, Inc; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 174,800 - 221,817; Full time

Job summary

Bonfire Studios, Inc in Irvine seeks a Lead Environment Artist to shape the world of Arkheron. This hands-on leadership role focuses on mentoring a talented team, setting artistic standards, and delivering immersive game environments. With 7+ years in AAA environment art, you’ll drive creative direction and elevate team collaboration. The position offers a salary range of $174,800 - $221,817, equity, and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of environment art experience and leadership in AAA titles.
• Ability to mentor and foster a positive team culture.
• Strong artistic eye for architecture, materials, and lighting.

Responsibilities

• Guide the team in creating immersive environments for Arkheron.
• Drive creative and technical direction for environment art.
• Ensure seamless integration of art with gameplay and performance.

Skills

Leadership in AAA environment art

Mentoring and developing teams

Ownership and accountability

Technical skills in Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop

Understanding of PBR workflows and world-building

Tools

Maya

ZBrush

Photoshop

Substance Painter

Unreal or Unity

Job description

As a Lead Environment Artist, you’ll guide our team in crafting the immersive world of Arkheron. This is a hands‑on leadership role where you’ll set the artistic and technical standards for environment art, mentor a small and talented team, and bring to life a hauntingly beautiful world that enhances gameplay and player experience. You’ll shape the vision, push creative and technical boundaries, and foster a culture of collaboration, excellence, and growth across the studio.

YOU’LL CONTRIBUTE BY:

• Mentoring environment artists, providing constructive feedback, and cultivating a collaborative, growth-oriented team culture.
• Driving the creative and technical direction for environment art, ensuring a consistent, high-quality aesthetic across Arkheron.
• Translating high-level ideas (sometimes as simple as a whiteboard sketch) into fully realized game environments that immerse players.
• Delivering polished environments that align with gameplay needs and technical constraints.
• Partnering closely with design, engineering, and other teams to ensure environment art integrates seamlessly with gameplay and performance goals.
• Leading by example, contributing to asset creation, and setting the quality bar.
• Researching and implementing new tools, workflows, and techniques to elevate our craft.
• Supporting hiring, onboarding, and team-building efforts to strengthen Bonfire’s environment art discipline.

WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT YOU BECAUSE YOU:

• Have leadership experience in AAA environment art and thrive on mentoring and developing teams.
• Bring a strong sense of ownership, accountability, and the ability to drive ideas forward.
• Are self-driven and thrive in ambiguity, able to turn high-level visions into concrete results.
• Have shipped at least one AAA title in a leadership role, with 7+ years of environment art experience.
• Excel on small, collaborative teams where every role is broad and impactful.
• Possess a keen artistic eye for architecture, materials, lighting, and world-building.
• Are technically skilled in Maya (or similar), ZBrush, Photoshop, Substance Painter, and experienced with Unreal or Unity.
• Understand performance optimization, PBR workflows, UV layouts, and world-building pipelines.
• Value cross-discipline collaboration and can communicate effectively across teams.
• Care deeply about mentorship and fostering a positive, inclusive work environment.
• Balance creative vision with production realities, making smart trade-offs when needed.
• Have a growth mindset, eager to teach and learn in equal measure.

THIS MIGHT NOT BE THE ROLE FOR YOU IF:

• You’re at your best on large teams where roles are highly specialized. Our team is intentionally small, and everyone wears multiple hats.
• You prefer to have every detail mapped out in advance. At Bonfire, we thrive in ambiguity, iteration, and figuring things out together.
• You’re looking to focus solely on your own contributions, without the added responsibility of guiding others. In this role, mentorship and team development are just as important as your own craft, and success means balancing hands‑on creation with leadership—leading by example while setting the bar for quality.
• You’re not comfortable taking broad ownership and accountability. Success in this role means leaning into autonomy, pushing vision forward, and driving execution without needing much direction.

YOU’LL LOVE WORKING AT BONFIRE BECAUSE WE:

• Embrace bold challenges with creativity and courage, making the tough calls to build a game we’re proud to play every day.
• Keep fun at the core: we play Arkheron daily, staying grounded as players. If it’s not more fun than yesterday, we fix it. We don’t chase trends; we listen by playing.
• Stay truly independent, with decisions driven by the team — not by investors or a board.
• Thrive in a culture of passion, trust, and shared ownership; where transparency matters and egos don’t.

The base salary range for this role is $174,800 - $221,817. Depending on your experience and level (whether you’re closer to mid‑level or principal), your offer may land above or below that range. We don’t just look at years on a résumé — we think about the impact you can have on the team and the game. Of course, compensation at Bonfire goes beyond salary. Every new teammate receives equity, plus a full benefits package and some extra perks to make work (and life) better. When we connect, we’ll happily walk you through the full details.