Summer 2027 | 2D Character Artist Intern San Jose, California

Nex; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 28,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Flexible hours & vacation policy

Product-driven culture

Hands-on with cutting-edge tech

Job summary

Nex is seeking a Summer 2027 2D Character Artist Intern in San Jose, CA or Remote. You will design characters for the Party Fowl and Copycat Deluxe franchises, taking concepts through the full art pipeline to polished, game-ready 2D art.

You'll learn an established art direction, follow production standards, and contribute creative ideas that fit the world while growing your portfolio and gaining real-world exposure with a product used by hundreds of thousands of players daily.

Qualifications

• Must be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
• Strong foundation in stylized 2D cartoon character design including shape language, posing, color, and composition.
• Strong sense of appeal, personality, and visual storytelling through character design.
• Proficiency with 2D art tools, particularly Illustrator and Photoshop.
• Communicates well, eager to learn, and takes ownership of tasks.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop new characters expanding the Party Fowl universe while staying true to its visual style.
• Take character designs through the full art production pipeline from concept to final artwork.
• Learn and follow art direction, visual guidelines, and production standards for consistent, game-ready assets.
• Collaborate with Art and Design teams, incorporating feedback throughout development.
• Help evolve the Party Fowl / Copy Cat Deluxe franchise with fresh characters and ideas.

Skills

Stylized 2D cartoon character design

Character design storytelling

Communication & ownership

Art direction following guidelines

Education

Undergraduate or graduate degree student

Tools

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Job description

Summer 2027 | 2D Character Artist Intern

San Jose, California or Remote

Nex is on a mission to help families rediscover the joy of movement. Created by parents for parents, Nex combines technology and play to deliver fun, social, and interactive experiences powered by natural body motion, encouraging kids and adults to move more, play more, and have fun together. Nex Playground, the company’s award-winning active play system, is purpose-built to get families moving year-round, with safety and privacy as core considerations in its intentional design. It is certified kidSAFE+ COPPA compliant and built to support healthy, active play for all ages and abilities.

Nex Playground features a growing library of 50+ experiences, including motion and dance games, fitness and educational experiences, and Nex Originals. Content includes collaborations with partners like Hasbro, Sesame Workshop, and NBCUniversal. Nex has been recognized by Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, TIME’s Best Inventions, and Parents’ Best Entertainment System for Families, and has earned Red Dot, IDEA, and Core77 international design awards. We encourage you to explore Have Fun and Is Motion Gaming Back? , as they offer a deeper look into our culture, values, and explain how our approach to motion gaming differs from previous generations.

Nex employees may be expected to collaborate with colleagues across different time zones. Depending on the role and location, occasional travel may also be required for company events, external meetings, and other business-related activities.

Location: San Jose, CA
Type: Full Time Internship

The Role

As a 2D Character Artist Intern, you’ll help expand one of the most playful universe of Party Fowl and Copycat Deluxe, designing new characters that feel like they truly belong within the franchise.

You’ll gain hands-on experience taking a character through the full art production pipeline from early concepts and design exploration all the way to polished final artwork. Along the way, you’ll learn how to work within an established art direction, follow our visual guidelines and production process, and create characters that feel cohesive with the existing Party Fowl universe while still bringing fresh ideas and personality to the world.

We’re looking for an artist who loves making goofy lovely characters and can do more than create a great looking illustration. You should be able to design memorable characters, explore multiple ideas quickly, and carry a character from initial concept all the way through final game ready 2D art.This isn’t just portfolio work. Your art has the opportunity to ship in a real commercial product and be seen by over 500k+ users every day.

What You'll Do

• Design and develop new characters that expand the established Party Fowl universe while staying true to its visual style and personality.
• Take character designs through the full art production pipeline, from early concept exploration and iteration to polished final artwork.
• Learn and follow our art direction, visual guidelines, feedback process, and production standards to create consistent, game ready assets.
• Work closely with the Art and Design teams, incorporating feedback and iterating on designs throughout the development process.
• Help evolve and expand the Party Fowl / Copy Cat Deluxe franchise, introducing fresh characters and ideas that feel naturally connected to its existing world.

Should Have

• Must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program at an accredited college or university.
• Strong foundation in stylized 2D cartoon character design, including shape language, posing, color, and composition, especially in stylized and playful character art.
• Strong sense of appeal, personality, and visual storytelling through character design.
• Proficiency with 2D art tools, particularly Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop.
• Communicates well, is eager to learn, and takes ownership of assigned tasks and responsibilities.

Nice to Have

• Demonstrates the ability to create 2D props and environment assets, such as trees, buildings, and other in-game objects.
• Familiarity with the Unity engine and a basic understanding of its art production workflow.
• Interest in family play, party games, or creative physical gaming experiences
• Enjoys playing and making video games! :)

We Offer

• Competitive compensation package.
• Flexible working hours and vacation policy.
• Product-driven culture that treasures talents and individual growth.
• Front-row seat and hands-on experience with cutting edge technologies in the evolving gaming field

Nex is located inSan Jose, California, USAandHongKong. Learn more about us at https://www.nexplayground.com/about .
We encourage applications even if you don’t meet more than 50% of the requirements — we believe that experience comes in many forms!

Nex is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. This policy applies to all individuals at every stage of the employment relationship, including all current and prospective employees, and covers all employment decisions including recruitment, hiring, job assignment, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, discipline and termination.

We are committed to providing a workplace free from discrimination and harassment and to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.