The Lead Environment Artist will help define and build the visual direction of environments for a cross-platform RPG in Unreal Engine. This role focuses on leadership, including driving world building, developing pipelines, setting quality standards, and guiding a team in close partnership with the Art Director.
Strong hands-on skills are expected, but the primary goal is to lead, mentor, and ensure a cohesive, high-quality visual experience across the project.
This position requires the ability to work onsite in a hybrid capacity at the Obsidian Entertainment office in Irvine, CA.
Responsibilities- Act as direct manager and mentor for Environment Artists
- Work closely with the Art Director, Tech Artists, Level Designers, and Environment Artists to ensure the visual target is met or exceeded
- Efficiently model, UV map, bake, and create materials for environment assets within a PBR pipeline and assemble them in Unreal Engine 5
- Create a wide range of high-quality environment art assets including props, interiors, and exteriors of structures
- Manage terrain, foliage, and worldbuilding efforts via Unreal Engine 5
Requirements- 5+ years in the game industry
- Excellent technical ability with a thorough understanding of modeling, lighting, and surfacing
- Expert knowledge of Maya or similar 3D modeling software
- Expert knowledge of PBR texture and material pipelines
- Passion for collaboration with other artists and a desire to mentor junior talent
- Strong communication skills and a detailed approach to organization
- Effective working knowledge of performant and attractive level building as well as modular assembly techniques for Unreal Engine
Pluses- Knowledge of architecture, engineering fundamentals, and construction methods
- Working knowledge of color theory
- Understanding principles of good composition
- A passion for RPGs, sci-fi, tabletop games, etc.
- Familiarity with Obsidian games
Portfolio Requirements- A web portfolio showcasing a range of high-quality in-game environments that demonstrate ship-ready quality
- Examples of lit interior and exterior environments
- A range of hard surface and organic models
- Samples from previous industry work
Portfolio Pluses- Architectural rendering samples
- Environment art concept samples
- Material examples in Unreal Engine
The estimated base pay range for this role is:
- $128,730 - $178,940 per year
Please, no phone calls or drop-ins. We only accept electronic applications.
