Senior Level Artist

2K; Novato (CA); On-site; USD 100,200 - 148,320; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid vacation up to 25 days

Wellbeing programs for mental health

Job summary

2K is looking for a Senior Level Artist to join Cloud Chamber and shape the next installment of the BioShock franchise. You will work closely with diverse teams to create visually rich and engaging environments, translating artistic direction into functional spaces.

The ideal candidate will have significant experience with Unreal Engine and a keen eye for detail. Benefits include competitive pay, bonuses, and a range of wellness programs.

Qualifications

• Experience in Unreal 4 or 5 with at least one shipped AAA title.
• Strong skills in modular kits and proxy models for environments.
• Ability to maintain asset libraries organized by theme.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with design, modeling, and narrative teams.
• Create and optimize environments that enhance gameplay.
• Communicate effectively with team members to meet project goals.

Skills

Experience shipping 3D AAA titles

Expertise in Unreal 5

Excellent composition skills

Modular kit creation

Understanding of architectural structure

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Art or equivalent

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.