Skydance Interactive, the studio behind one of VR’s most critically acclaimed series “The walking dead: Saints and Sinners” is seeking an experienced Lead Concept artist to join our ranks and become a core visionary of the development team. The Lead concept artist will work closely with the Art director and Creative director to craft designs for environments, characters, weapons, and props during the initial development of our studio's next full scale VR project. During production, the Lead concept artist will also be expected to produce exploratory images to prove out ideas and capture the look and feel of the game, as well as assist the art team in pushing the visual appeal and design quality of the game with paint overs and sketches. The lead concept artist will also be expected to manage and inspire additional concept artists that may be members of the Internal dev team or contribute externally as 3rd party contractors.

It is an exciting time to be a VR developer and we believe that with the excellent support of our parent company Skydance Media and our strong partnerships within the VR Industry, we are uniquely positioned to create truly extraordinary games. If you thrive in a fast-paced, challenging and yet solutions-oriented environment...Join us and let’s get to work seeing what is possible.

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the AD and Creative director to produce exploratory images to prove our ideas and capture the look and feel of the game
• Assist the art team in pushing the visual appeal and design quality throughout production with paint overs and sketches.
• Collaborate with and coordinate cross discipline teams to achieve consensus for design decisions and aesthetic direction.
• Ensure that all concept related images and references are organized, current, and available to the team.
• Direct, supervise and inspire additional concept art team members both internally and externally
• Recognize the project's needs and develop an ongoing hiring plan to support the department and its growth.

Requirements

• 5+ years of professional experience in concept art and character design, with 1+ years leading a pod or team.
• Must have portfolio showcasing projects (both shipped and unshipped games).
• Knowledge and command of fundamental art techniques including anatomy, perspective, graphic design, and color theory.
• An advanced understanding of video game concept art pipelines and how they fit into the game development process.
• A current understating of modern rapid prototyping tools and technology.
• Excellent communication skills and genuine desire to impower those on your team to do their best work.

Pluses

• The ideal candidate would already be familiar with the Unreal engine or other similar game engines as well as Zbrush and Blender
• Experience with the unique abilities and limitations of VR development would be a significant bonus but not required.
• Some experience with project management, source control, and task tracking software would also be a significant plus.

The salary range for this position in Los Angeles is $110,000 – $125,000. The salary offered may vary based on the candidate’s location, qualifications, experience and relevant expertise, among other factors. The range indicated is for base salary only and does not reflect the total compensation package, including bonus, benefits, etc.

We realize that skills and expertise can come from many different experiences and paths, and we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements as written in the job description.