Level Artist Jobs

About This Position

Digital Extremes is looking for a Level Artist to join our team! The Level Artist will be following, and on occasion helping to define art direction through collaboration with the entire creative team including but not limited to the Creative Director and Art Director. The incumbent will also be collaborating with the Level Design team and the Environment Art team to understand and balance the artistic and gameplay direction of the project, and to ensure the successful execution of the game’s visual and technical design on a level by level basis. The Level Artist is responsible for championing and maintaining the artistic goals of the level from start to finish. As a Level Artist you will find yourself collaborating with many other departments on the dev team and you should be comfortable doing so. Practical experience across other departments is an asset.

The candidate will have genuine enthusiasm and interest in video games combined with strong oral and written communication skills. They must provide a portfolio of their work that demonstrates an understanding of composition, colour theory, architecture, and storytelling and be able to describe the artistic and gameplay reasons of why these compositions work.

Responsibilities

• Review levels for visual integrity, playability, and fun factor while considering the creative direction, game play, and the target platforms
• Multitask effectively, prioritize competing demands, and trouble-shoot any issues relative to the role that may arise
• Use analytical thinking and the defined art sets, props, visual FX and lighting techniques to design visually dynamic and technically efficient environments that support the narrative and gameplay goals of the level
• Deliver work on time and according to schedule as prepared by the Art Director and Producer
• Use traditional 2D and 3D art skills in the production of environments, including the construction of high level compositions and proxy models from which final assets will be built
• Work as a team member with production and development, promoting creative thinking processes within the team and integrating their input to translate the game vision into gameplay reality
• Actively participate in the feedback loop including accepting feedback from and providing feedback within the art and level design team as required
• Engage with the entire production team to stay current on the scope and understanding of the project
• Follow and on occasion help to define art direction through collaboration with the Creative Director and Art Director
• Contribute innovative and original ideas toward all aspects of the game’s production and development
• Collaborate with artists, engineers and designers to ensure effective integration of art, game design, and technology
• Work closely with the Level Design team to fulfill the primary feature requirements of the game as it relates to the artistic goals of a level, and contribute to the team’s goal of reaching the project’s vision. Ensure the visual quality of each environment through tuning, bug fixing, and play-testing
• Work closely with the Art Director while collaborating with the Level Design team to understand and balance the artistic and gameplay direction of the project to ensure the successful execution of game’s visual and technical design on a level by level basis

Requirements

• The ability to learn new software quickly, including our proprietary game engine
• College diploma or University degree in 3D, Game Development, Graphic Arts, Fine Arts or similar field
• A minimum of 2 years’ of relative experience in the creation of game environments and a strong understanding of game engine fundamentals such as performance optimization, and game engine tools
• A portfolio of your own work which demonstrates a diverse range of environment types and an ability to tell a story through composition, staging, and lighting
• Exemplary oral and written communication skills
• A genuine enthusiasm and interest in video games

About Digital Extremes

Founded in 1993 by James Schmalz, Digital Extremes ranks as one of the world's top independent video game development studios. Originating with the co-creation of Epic Games' multi-million unit selling Unreal® franchise including Unreal and Unreal Tournament, Digital Extremes went on to develop Dark Sector®, BioShock® for the PlayStation®3, the BioShock 2 multiplayer campaign, and The Darkness® II. The studio has reached its greatest critical and commercial success with the free-to-play action game, Warframe®, boasting a global community of 50 million registered players on PC, PS4™, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch™. Newer projects include the recently launched cross-platform MMORPG Wayfinder® (developed by Airship Syndicate & published by Digital Extremes), as well as the highly anticipated Soulframe®, an in-development open-world action-fantasy title.

Digital Extremes is headquartered in London, Ontario, Canada, and is proud to be selected as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers, achieving this recognition for the last nine years in a row.

For more information and exciting news related to Digital Extremes, please visit www.digitalextremes.com.

WHY WORK AT DIGITAL EXTREMES

Our culture is centered on providing great opportunities to our employees so that everyone feels they are making a meaningful impact. Developing new and existing talent is our long-term focus. We are honored that our work environment has been consistently recognized as one of “Canada’s Top 100 Employers”. We summon you to join our elite team!

The rewards of a career with Digital Extremes include:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Matching RRSP plan
• Competitive salary with bonus opportunities
• Virtual access to Dialogue, our mental wellness and healthcare services app
• Virtual events such as team building exercises, Games night, Live band performances, Adult and separate children’s holiday and summer parties for global teams!
• Excellent benefits and paid time off
• Be part of “Giving Back” through a multitude of fundraising venues at DE
• Work-life balance fitness subsidies
• Professional development and career support

JOIN US

Digital Extremes is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment process. We thank you for your interest, however, only those candidates selected for the next steps in the hiring process will be contacted.