2k Games

Expert Lighting Artist

2k Games$96K — $142K *
Media
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years in lighting design for games or comparable media
  • Experience shipping at least one AAA game
  • Deep expertise in Unreal Engine real-time lighting
  • Strong knowledge of color theory and emotional impact of light
  • Understanding of real-world lighting principles and photographic exposure settings
  • Portfolio that demonstrates artistry and storytelling through light
  • Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams

Responsibilities

  • Collaborate with Lead Lighting Artist and Art Director on visual direction
  • Implement real-time lighting solutions in Unreal Engine
  • Transform concept art and mood boards into immersive in-game environments
  • Coordinate with artists to ensure cohesive lighting across assets
  • Design lighting setups that enhance gameplay and narrative
  • Ensure visual clarity and consistency across all project materials
  • Contribute to the development and optimization of lighting tools and pipelines

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on AAA titles
  • Collaborative team environment across multiple disciplines
  • Involvement in creative decision-making and visual storytelling
  • Access to cutting-edge technology and tools in game development
  • Potential for professional growth and skill enhancement
  • Contributions to high-visibility marketing and in-game assets
Full Job Description
What We Need

Can you craft emotion through light? Do you see lighting not just as realism but as a powerful narrative tool? We're looking for an Expert Lighting Artist who brings both strong artistic vision and technical proficiency to our growing team. Reporting to the Lead Lighting Artist, you will be drawn to the challenge of storytelling through color, light, and shadow, and love collaborating across disciplines to bring worlds to life.

What You'll Do
  • Collaborate on Visual Direction: Work closely with the Lead Lighting Artist and Art Director to realize and execute the established lighting direction and visual identity of the project.
  • Design and implement real-time lighting using Unreal Engine, balancing high visual fidelity with performance constraints.
  • Translate concept art, mood boards, and references into cinematic, atmospheric, and immersive in-game lighting.
  • Partner with material, environment, and technical artists to ensure assets respond appealingly and believably to light.
  • Build lighting setups that intentionally support gameplay, narrative beats, and player focus; not just physical accuracy.
  • Maintain visual clarity and aesthetic consistency across diverse environments, promotional materials, and cinematics.
  • Contribute to the evaluation and refinement of lighting pipelines, tools, and documentation to support efficient workflows.
  • Collaborate with cinematic teams to light and polish standout key art, marketing assets, and in-game sequences.


What Will Make You A Great Fit
  • You've shipped at least one AAA game or worked on a project with comparable scale and quality.
  • Deep knowledge of real-time lighting in Unreal Engine
  • Strong grasp of color theory, light behavior, and emotional tone.
  • Deep understanding of real-world lighting principles, including the difference between luminance and illuminance, and how they apply in Unreal.
  • Proven knowledge of exposure settings (aperture, ISO, shutter speed) and their impact on physically accurate lighting workflows.
  • Skilled in interpreting mood boards, photography, and cinematic references.
  • Collaborative attitude - you're used to working closely with rendering engineers, artists, and tech teams.
  • Clear communicator and thoughtful feedback-giver.
  • A portfolio that showcases your range, quality, and storytelling through light.

The pay range for this position in British Columbia at the start of employment is expected to be between CAD $96,400 and CAD $142,660 per year. However, actual 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. If hired, the company reserves the right to modify base pay (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Please note that 2K Games and its studios never uses instant messaging apps or personal email accounts to contact prospective employees or conduct interviews and when emailing, only use 2K.com accounts.

About 2k Games

2K Games is an American video game publisher based in Novato, California. The company was founded in January 2005 by Take-Two Interactive, and is best known for publishing the NBA 2K series of basketball games. Other popular franchises published by 2K Games include the Borderlands series, the BioShock series, and the Mafia series. The company has also published several licensed games based on popular movies and TV shows, such as The Walking Dead and WWE.
Learn more about 2k Games
Size
500 employees
Industry

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