Senior Level Artist

Cloud Chamber; Novato (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 148,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Employee stock purchase program

Paid holidays

Vacation & PTO

Job summary

Cloud Chamber is seeking a Senior Level Artist to help shape the BioShock universe. You will collaborate with design, modelling, narrative, and art teams to craft immersive environments, modular kits, and compelling spaces that support gameplay and storytelling.

Applicants should have experience shipping a AAA title, be proficient with Unreal 5, and possess a strong eye for composition, color, and detail. The role is based in California with a comprehensive compensation package.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Art or equivalent work experience.
• Experience shipping at least one 3D AAA title is preferred.
• Proficient with Unreal 5 and real-time rendering concepts.
• Ability to translate art direction into game-ready environments.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with design, modelling, narrative, and art teams to shape environments.
• Create believable, functional environments from scratch.
• Develop modular kits and rules for world-building and storytelling.
• Lead long-term creative and production ownership of levels.

Skills

Artistic vision

Team collaboration

Environment design

Communication skills

Modular kits prototyping

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Art or equivalent

Tools

Unreal Engine 5

Modular kit creation

Asset libraries

Job description

As a Senior Level Artist at Cloud Chamber, you will join our talented development team to shape the next installment of the BioShock franchise. In this role, you’ll collaborate with a passionate group of game developers to construct visually stunning and gameplay-enhancing game worlds, create and maintain modular kits to optimally build believable and detailed spaces, and propel the narrative through environmental storytelling, bringing the richly imagined world of BioShock to life.

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate closely with the Level Design, Modeling, Narrative, Concept, Combat, and Cinematic teams.
• Create believable, functional, and visually strong environments from scratch.
• Gather references, concept art, and translate Art Direction into clear and repeatable architectural and world construction rules, communicating and championing those rules to peers both in and out of the Art Department.
• Iterate on layouts using blocking to support and enhance combat and level design requirements, scene composition, and general world logic.
• Create and compose modular kits and collection sets to form optimized yet dramatic and detailed spaces.
• Assume full long term creative, technical, and production ownership over your levels. Contribute to the artistic vision of your space, ensure that dependencies are properly communicated, and your work is technically compliant according to best practices established by the Tech Art and Core Tech teams.
• Participate in look development, creating visual benchmark environments and level layouts to present to your team and develop processes in which to replicate those successes.
• Communicate effectively with team members, production, and management to ensure that project goals and deadlines are met.
• Work with Leads to develop world building and modeling processes, alignment decks, documentation and tutorials, and ensure that quality is maintained for environment art.
• Receive, give, and apply feedback effectively while maintaining a constructive, team centric attitude.

What We’ll Do Together

At Cloud Chamber, we are champions of high standards, pushing for progress and embracing change. We will work closely and constructively across design, art, engineering, animation, and audio teams to realize our creative ambitions. Together, we will stay current on technological advancements and identify solutions to overcome developmental obstacles to deliver a world-class AAA experience.

Skills & Experiences

• Experience shipping at least one 3D AAA title in FPS or Third Person (using Unreal 4 or Unreal 5).
• Professional experience working with Unreal 5.
• Experience working within cross-discipline strike teams on collaborative assignments effectively and constructively.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Art, or equivalent work experience.
• Superior eye for composition, contrast, color, and detail.
• Proficient in the creation of modular kits and proxy models for high-quality, stylized environments.
• Solid understanding of form, shape, structure, and silhouette as it relates to world building.
• Solid understanding of architectural structure, spatial design, industrial design, and the details necessary for crafting the building blocks of believable environments.
• Experience creating and maintaining asset libraries, organized by theme and function.
• Experience with materials and shaders, knowing what is needed and where to use them for difficult visual targets is a plus.
• An interest in relevant adjacent disciplines such as architecture, urban design, interior design, photography, film, lighting, and drawing is beneficial.

Who You Are

• A reliable, positive force multiplier, actively seeking opportunities to integrate work across disciplines and contribute to a healthy, supportive team environment.
• A solid communicator with excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly, package information for diverse audiences, and deliver difficult feedback with empathy and professionalism.
• A persistent and self-motivated person with a proactive mindset.
• Able to maintain effectiveness and quality under pressure, ambiguity, and fast-changing priorities.
• An active listener able to build and maintain trust-based relationships across all levels of the organization, understand differing perspectives, and navigate organizational complexity with tact and emotional intelligence.
• Highly open to feedback and direction, possessing a desire to learn new skills, and capable of producing quick, quality revisions based on new insights or constraints.
• A strong owner of your tasks, who strives to drive their work forward autonomously while maintaining a critical eye for detail and organization, ensuring high standards of quality.
• Dedicated to upholding Cloud Chamber’s core values, contributing to a positive and respectful company culture while striving for excellence in all endeavors.

Who We Are

At Cloud Chamber we strive to make BioShock games that move people: evocative, immersive, and meaningful experiences that stay with you long after you’ve rolled credits. Great games are born from great collaborations, supported by a culture that brings out the best in our teams. We work openly, learn through play, take ownership, push ourselves to be better, and deliver for our players.

The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $100,200 and $148,320 USD per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations. Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program. Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.

For Candidates Located In Quebec

This position requires professional proficiency in both French and English. Proficiency in English is required to collaborate with our U.S. teams and international partners, as well as to handle specialized technical documentation (reading, writing, and communication).

As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to ensuring that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, perform their essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us if you need reasonable accommodation.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never use instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews. When emailing prospective employees, we only use 2K.com accounts.