Lead Environment Artist

Job Description

Your Platform

Sledgehammer Games, award winning developer of multiple titles in the Call of Duty franchise, is looking for talented developers to join our studio as founding members of our new UK team, based just south of London in Guildford. This group will partner equally with our teams in Foster City, Melbourne, and Toronto in the creation of epic content for some of the biggest games in the world. This is an opportunity to help grow and shape a AAA team from the ground up, adding new skills to your armory while gaining the unique satisfaction that only comes from building something brand new. Join us on our quest to maintain and improve a healthy and inspiring studio culture!

At Sledgehammer Games, we recently entered our second decade of game development, focused on constant evolution, innovation and qualified risk-taking. With world-class content production and engineering teams, we've been able to achieve some of the highest-quality game execution of any studio in the industry. We love what we do and work hard to make sure that each new game we make is even better than the last. Creativity is key, and we're looking for talented game developers for our exciting new projects.

Sledgehammer Games is wholly owned by Activision. To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.sledgehammergames.com or search for Sledgehammer Games on your favorite social media platform. Want to hear what it's like at the studio directly from current employees? Check out our #LifeatSHG developer profiles: https://youtu.be/12DUBszg-w4

Your Mission

As a Lead Environment Artist - Toronto, you will we responsible for helping to build a new Environment team to work on Call of Duty content. You will train and mentor new artists joining the team and execute against creative direction to produce shippable content, meeting the standards expected from the franchise. You will also keep your skills sharp, modeling and texturing industry-leading environments, setting a strong example for your team. If you have a desire to work on the most successful FPS franchise in the history of video games, please apply online. Note: A portfolio submission is required for this position. Please focus this portfolio on personal contributions to your projects. Please include a shot breakdown specifying what you were directly responsible for creating.

Sledgehammer Games has state-of-the-art facilities, an industry leading development team, and a studio culture built to promote and support world class game developers. We are actively recruiting top talent for our Call of Duty development team.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:
• Work closely with the Art Director and a team of artists and level designers to assemble and detail game environments
• Create visually appealing, realistic 3D models of natural and architectural elements based on concept art and photo reference
• Work within budgets while hitting key timelines
• Troubleshoot technical and artistic issues
• Communicate effectively with team members, production and management to ensure that project goals and deadlines are met
• Deliver environments that adhere to strict performance targets
• Evaluate software, tech and tools to help identify opportunities for pipeline improvement
• Have creative ownership over large sections of an environment
• Contribute to high quality look development with the goal of setting the bar
• Able to prioritize and delegate tasks to junior members of the art team
• Help train and mentor artists on your new team

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:
• 8+ years of experience creating high-quality 3D architecture, environments, and levels for AAA games
• Ability to execute highly detailed, photo realistic environments, helping to set the bar for other artists at the studio
• Receive, give, and apply feedback effectively while maintaining a positive attitude
• Highly proficient in Maya or 3ds Max, Photoshop and Substance Painter
• Strong understanding of lighting, color and scene composition
• Advanced understanding of physically based material creation, with preference given to those who are adept in material creation
• Proficient in next-gen asset creation
• Experience with a level editor. (i.e. Unreal, Unity, Frostbite, Radiant, etc.)
• Self-driven, dedicated to advancing your craft, and eager to learn new techniques and software.
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Proven leadership qualities, either through previous roles in a lead position or multiple examples where you took on extra responsibilities
• You are passionate about games; take pride in everything you do and have a positive attitude

Extra Points:
• 2+ AAA games shipped
• Foundation in traditional art with ability of concepting ideas.
• Additional experience in lighting, VFX, design, etc.
• Exceptional visual and technical understanding of 3D modeling and texturing.
• Proficient in Zbrush
• Understanding of photogrammetry processes and workflows.
• Architecture, photography, photogrammetry or cinematography experience.
• Experience working in a multi-site studio or building games with multiple internal or external partner teams

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-g3xx99-18-117-182-179-42 in your application.