Principal Materials Artist (Apex Legends)

Respawn Entertainment; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 153,700 - 233,600; Full time

Job summary

Respawn Entertainment is seeking a senior-level materials specialist to shape next‑generation surface workflows for a AAA game portfolio. You will co‑develop surfacing strategies with rendering and technical art teams, curate a shared material library, and design layered materials to meet complex interactions.

Strong shader and tool proficiency are essential. Ideal candidates will have 12+ years in game development, a robust portfolio of PBR materials, and experience delivering AAA scale

Qualifications

• 12+ years of professional game development experience.
• Portfolio demonstrating a wide range of high quality materials and a mastery of PBR.
• Expert level knowledge of Substance Painter and Designer.
• Direct production experience building shared material libraries that have been brought to market at a AAA scale and quality.
• Experience in live service titles, seasonal content, cosmetics, or character customization systems is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with technical disciplines on standing up new pipelines.
• Capability to author materials or shaders as proof of concept or visual targets is a plus.
• Comfortable working with proprietary technology that ships on a wide range of platforms with performance as a top priority.
• Strong ability to clearly communicate, both verbally and in writing, create documentation, training materials, or mentoring junior artists.

Responsibilities

• Co‑develop new surfacing strategies and pipelines in collaboration with rendering, technical art, and craft experts.
• Build, curate, and maintain a high quality shared material library.
• Help design material systems or layered materials with an understanding of complex surface interactions.
• Contribute to tools and pipelines leveraging subject matter expertise in Substance Painter/Designer, Houdini Copernicus, or other related DCC tools.
• Be a champion for technology that meets high performance expectations and technical constraints.
• Help test and validate new rendering and lighting features.
• Build partnerships and collaborative efforts between multiple disciplines to achieve successful solutions.

Skills

12+ years game development

PBR mastery

Shader authoring

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Documentation & mentoring

Tools

Substance Painter

Substance Designer

Houdini Copernicus

Job description

Description & Requirements

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen.

Electronic Arts creates next-level entertainment experiences that inspire players and fans around the world. Here, everyone is part of the story. Part of a community that connects across the globe. A place where creativity thrives, new perspectives are invited, and ideas matter. A team where everyone makes play happen. Founded in 2010, Respawn was created with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they’ll make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. Respawn Entertainment is the Academy Award‑winning studio behind critically acclaimed multi‑platform games Apex Legends, Titanfall, Titanfall 2, Star Wars™ Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars™ Jedi: Survivor, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond. As a collective of creative developers, we have launched some of the industry’s most critically and commercially successful games. We truly love what we do and want to share our passion with players worldwide.

Why Join Us?

• This role is an opportunity to contribute to new asset pipelines and work in a multidisciplinary R&D group.
• As a Principal you will have broad agency to guide and deliver solutions as you see fit.
• This role will have a significant impact on our product and your work will be highly visible to our players.

Responsibilities

• Co‑develop new surfacing strategies and pipelines in collaboration with rendering, technical art, and craft experts.
• Build, curate, and maintain a high quality shared material library.
• Help design material systems or layered materials with an understanding of complex surface interactions.
• Contribute to tools and pipelines leveraging subject matter expertise in Substance Painter/Designer, Houdini Copernicus, or other related DCC tools.
• Be a champion for technology that meets high performance expectations and technical constraints.
• Help test and validate new rendering and lighting features.
• Build partnerships and collaborative efforts between multiple disciplines to achieve successful solutions.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of professional game development experience.
• Portfolio demonstrating a wide range of high quality materials and a mastery of PBR.
• Expert level knowledge of Substance Painter and Designer.
• Direct production experience building shared material libraries that have been brought to market at a AAA scale and quality.
• Experience in live service titles, seasonal content, cosmetics, or character customization systems is a plus.
• Experience collaborating with technical disciplines on standing up new pipelines.
• Capability to author materials or shaders as proof of concept or visual targets is a plus.
• Comfortable working with proprietary technology that ships on a wide range of platforms with performance as a top priority.
• Strong ability to clearly communicate, both verbally and in writing, create documentation, training materials, or mentoring junior artists.

Pay Transparency - North America

Compensation And Benefits

The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs).

PAY RANGES

• British Columbia (depending on location e.g. Vancouver vs. Victoria) *$133,500 - $186,400 CAD
• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. San Francisco) *$153,700 - $233,600 USD

Pay is just one part of the overall compensation at EA.

In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

For Canada, we offer a package of benefits including vacation (3 weeks per year to start), 10 days per year of sick time, paid top‑up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary when you welcome a new child (12 weeks for maternity, and 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave), extended health/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, disability insurance, retirement plan to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

About Electronic Arts

We’re proud to have an extensive portfolio of games and experiences, locations around the world, and opportunities across EA. We value adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. From leadership that brings out your potential, to creating space for learning and experimenting, we empower you to do great work and pursue opportunities for growth.

We adopt a holistic approach to our benefits programs, emphasizing physical, emotional, financial, career, and community wellness to support a balanced life. Our packages are tailored to meet local needs and may include healthcare coverage, mental well‑being support, retirement savings, paid time off, family leaves, complimentary games, and more. We nurture environments where our teams can always bring their best to what they do.

Electronic Arts is an equal opportunity employer. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will also consider employment qualified applicants with criminal records in accordance with applicable law. EA also makes workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by applicable law.