3D Character Artist

A fully funded independent game studio building a social-first online gaming platform in Unreal Engine 5. It combines MMO-style social systems with live-service mechanics, all accessible directly through a browser.

The founding team are veterans of established MMO and live-service studios, so they know how to build and run games at scale. The team is small, experienced, and distributed, and it values autonomy and ownership over process and politics.

Please note: the project has an association with real-money gaming.

About the Role

The studio is looking for a hands-on Senior Character Artist to own the character modelling pipeline as the platform heads towards launch and beyond.

The art style is stylised, leaning realistic. The roster covers grounded playable characters and fantastical premium characters such as knights, space marines, and ninjas, and that premium tier is yet to be built.

You'll start by polishing an existing roster, with a focus on hair, then take full ownership of new characters end-to-end in Unreal Engine 5. You'll work closely with the Art Director, Technical Art Director, rigger, and outsourcing partners.

This is a hands-on role for someone with a senior mindset: you own your area, spot issues before anyone else does, and bring solutions.

What You'll Need

• 5+ years creating 3D characters professionally, or at least multiple shipped titles with an established studio
• A strong portfolio that shows both realistic and stylised human characters, including high-poly sculpts and finished, textured, in-engine characters
• Proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, Substance Painter, and Photoshop
• Strong Unreal Engine 5 skills across character creation, including importing assets, building efficient materials, and optimisation
• A thorough understanding of the high-poly to game-resolution mesh workflow
• Clean topology and edge flow suited to rigging and animation
• Solid experience with PBR materials workflows
• Strong knowledge of human anatomy, with a good eye for form, colour, light, and design
• Experience creating game-ready hair, with a feel for contemporary, appealing hairstyles
• Excellent written and spoken English, and comfort with detailed, nuanced creative discussions
• The ability to work independently and proactively in a small, distributed team

Bonus Points For

• Experience working with or reviewing work from outsourcing partners
• Experience on live-service, MMO, or online multiplayer titles
• Experience creating fantastical or heavily costumed characters such as armour, sci-fi, or historical
• Experience with hair physics or groom-to-card workflows in Unreal
• A broad understanding of the wider pipeline, including rigging, animation, shaders, and lighting