Principal Hard Surface Artist - AAA Game Studio Lead

Keywords Studios; United States; Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote/Hybrid work arrangement

Job summary

Keywords Studios Plc is seeking a Principal / Lead Hard Surface Artist to work on an unannounced AAA project. You may enter as a lead IC or move into a people-management path, with exposure across a globally recognized studio.

The role covers high-quality hard surface assets—from vehicles to weapons—and mentoring teammates while shaping production pipelines. Remote/hybrid options and permanent/contract terms are available for suitable candidates.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Senior, Principal, or Lead Hard Surface Artist on a shipped AAA or high-quality game project.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality hard surface modelling across a range of asset types.
• Strong understanding of shape, proportion, materials, construction, and mechanical design.
• Proficiency with modern 3D content creation tools and game engines such as Unreal, Unity, or proprietary engines.

Responsibilities

• Creates high-quality hard surface assets meeting artistic and technical requirements.
• Works on assets across vehicles, weapons, machinery, props, architecture, and other mechanical forms.
• Helps establish the visual and quality bar for hard surface production across the project.
• Mentors other artists and guides artistic direction.
• Ensures assets are optimized for real-time performance and platform requirements.

Skills

Hard surface

Mentoring

Procedural workflows

Scripting

AAA experience

Tools

Unreal Engine

Unity

Maya

Job description

This role targets Senior-to-Lead level artists with AAA shipped titles on their CV. The dual "Principal / Lead" framing signals flexibility — you may enter at a lead individual-contributor level or step into a people-management capacity. Either path offers significant upward exposure in a globally recognized studio.

Skills You'll Develop:

• Hard surface art direction and quality bar ownership at AAA scale
• Mentoring and pipeline optimization — both are increasingly valued as studios scale
• Procedural workflows and scripting (listed as an advantage, increasingly essential in modern pipelines)

Market Compensation Context: No salary is disclosed, which is a mild red flag for transparency. Senior/Lead Hard Surface Artist salaries in Southeast Asia typically range from USD 30,000–60,000 annually, well below Western equivalents (USD 90,000–130,000). However, combined with the lower cost of living in Vietnam, Malaysia, or Indonesia, purchasing power can be competitive.

Green Flags: Keywords Studios is a publicly listed, large-scale art outsourcing partner for top-tier publishers — your portfolio will gain AAA-quality pieces. The DEIB commitment and Equal Opportunity language suggest a structured HR environment rather than an ad-hoc startup.

Red Flags: The project is "unannounced," meaning NDA constraints will likely limit portfolio use. Contract vs. permanent ambiguity and no relocation support also warrant clarification before accepting.

Keywords Studios is currently looking to expand its team in Southeast Asia. We're currently looking for an accomplished, enthusiastic and self-motivated Principal / Lead Hard Surface Artist to join our team working on an exciting, new and unannounced project.

Keywords Studios is a global leader providing art services to AAA Publishers. Our work can be seen across many of the top-selling titles on console, PC and mobile. You'll get to work alongside seasoned developers bringing expertise from world-class AAA studios.

This position may be offered as either a permanent or fixed-term contract role, depending on the project's requirements, business needs, and the candidate's experience and level.

These opportunities can be located in Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam (Remote), or Singapore (on-site). Sponsorship and relocation are not being offered as part of this package.

A Principal / Lead Hard Surface Artist at Keywords Studios:

• Creates high-quality hard surface assets that meet the artistic and technical requirements of the project.
• Works across a range of assets such as vehicles, weapons, machinery, props, architecture, and other complex mechanical or manufactured forms.
• Helps establish the visual and quality bar for hard surface production across the project.
• Works closely with Art Direction, Environment Art, Technical Art, and Design to ensure assets are visually strong, functional, and appropriate for gameplay.
• Provides hands-on guidance, feedback, and mentoring to other artists.
• Develops efficient modelling, texturing, and asset creation approaches suited to production needs.
• Ensures assets are optimised appropriately for real-time performance and platform requirements.
• Troubleshoots technical and production issues related to hard surface assets and workflows.
• Contributes to visual benchmarks and helps establish best practices for hard surface production.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Senior, Principal, or Lead Hard Surface Artist on a shipped AAA or high-quality game project.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality hard surface modelling across a range of asset types.
• Strong understanding of shape, proportion, materials, construction, and mechanical design.
• Strong knowledge of high-poly and low-poly workflows, baking, texturing, and PBR materials.
• Proficiency with modern 3D content creation tools and game engines such as Unreal, Unity, or proprietary engines.
• Good understanding of optimisation requirements for real-time assets.
• Experience mentoring or providing artistic direction to other artists.
• Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines and iterate quickly based on feedback.
• Experience with procedural workflows, scripting, or pipeline improvements is an advantage.

Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Commitment: Keywords Studios is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. If you require any adjustments during the process please let us know in your application. We are committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, customer focus, and innovation. We especially welcome applications from candidates of underrepresented groups in the industry.

Area of Work: Art

Service: Create

Employment Type: Permanent / Contract

Working Pattern: Full Time, Remote/Hybrid

Is this role fully remote or does it require on-site presence? It depends on the country. The Vietnam-based position is listed as remote, while Singapore requires on-site work. Malaysia and Indonesia are likely hybrid; candidates should confirm the specific arrangement for their preferred location during the interview process. Will Keywords Studios sponsor a visa or provide relocation assistance? No — the job posting explicitly states that sponsorship and relocation are not being offered as part of this package. Candidates must already have the right to work in their chosen country. Is this a permanent role or a fixed-term contract? The position may be offered as either a permanent or fixed-term contract role, depending on the project's requirements, business needs, and the candidate's experience level. What types of assets will the Principal / Lead Hard Surface Artist be creating? The role covers a wide range of hard surface assets including vehicles, weapons, machinery, props, architecture, and other complex mechanical or manufactured forms for an unannounced AAA project. What software proficiency is expected for this role? Candidates should be proficient with modern 3D content creation tools and game engines such as Unreal, Unity, or proprietary engines, along with strong knowledge of high-poly/low-poly workflows, baking, texturing, and PBR materials.

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