Principal Character Artist

At Wizards of the Coast, we connect people around the world through play and imagination. From our genre defining games like Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons to our growing multiverse, we continue to innovate and build new ways to foster friendship and connection. That’s where you come in

Atomic Arcade is a brand-new video game development studio located in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina area led by industry veterans from AAA game and film studios. We are in the process of staffing up our development team with outstanding talent to build our first multi-platform, AAA game - a bold and contemporary new take on the GI JOE Universe starring the legendary character Snake Eyes This is an excellent opportunity to not only build an outstanding AAA experience but to also help form the core foundations for the studio and team to build upon. We are proud to be part of Wizards of the Coast which is a division of Hasbro.

What You'll Do:

• Lead the creation of high-quality character models from concept to completion, including sculpting, modeling, texturing, and shading which set the standard for the project.
• Collaborate closely with the Art Director and Lead Character Artist to ensure consistency in style and quality across all character assets.
• Accurately bring character concepts to life as high-quality, detailed models that capture the essence, style, and personality intended in the original designs.
• Outstanding communication skills both written and verbal. You can effectively articulate technical process and provide critical visual feedback for external artists.
• Coordinate the handoff and integration of character assets from external teams, ensuring they meet the necessary artistic and technical requirements.
• Collaborate with the technical art and rigging teams to ensure character models are optimized for animation and real-time performance.
• Mentor and guide junior artists, fostering growth and maintaining a high standard of quality within the character art team.

• Proven experience as a Character Artist in a Principal or Leadership role.
• A portfolio that demonstrates a breadth of both technical and artistic execution of Character Art in AAA titles.
• Possess strong communication skills to effectively give, receive, and convey creative critique and art direction across internal and external teams.
• Extensive experience in real-time engines such as Unreal (or equivalent)
• The creative vision to take a character to completion from either a detailed brief or a high-level concept image.
• Deep hands-on knowledge of next-generation asset creation pipelines, tools, and workflows.
• Experience partnering with an Art Director or visual lead in developing a unique and cohesive modeling and texturing style and process for characters.
• Enthusiastic, positive, team-oriented; must have the ability to interact and collaborate with all departments and teams.
• Self-sufficient and self-motivated, can perform duties with little oversight.
• A passion for making and playing games.

• Starting Pay Range: $139,308.
• Pay Range End: $237,889.

In compliance with local law, we are disclosing the compensation range for this role. The range listed is just one component of Wizards of the Coast’s total compensation package for employees. Employees may also be eligible for annual and long-term incentives. In addition, Wizards of the Coast provides a variety of benefits to employees. Here’s a look at what your benefits package may include: Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance, Paid Vacation Time & Holidays, Generous 401(k) match, Paid Parental Leave, Volunteer Program, Employee Giving & Matching Gifts Programs, Tuition Reimbursement, Product Discounts, and more.

We are an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer

The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you are selected to move forward in our application process and need to request an accommodation, please let your recruiter or coordinator know.