Lead Environment Artist

Crystal Dynamics is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide to add to our 30-plus year legacy of AAAA game development creating new and iconic franchises. We are committed to making great games with great people and living the dream while doing it.

Benefits for our full-time positions include, but are not limited to, a competitive regional salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options, professional development reimbursement, flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities, 12 company paid holidays, plus additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break, and the ability to accrue additional paid time-off.

Join us and shape the future of an amazing studio culture committed to creating award-winning franchises like Tomb Raider, the next Perfect Dark, and more! 

Come be a part of the future of Tomb Raider!

As a Lead Environment Artist, you will oversee art for our Environment Art Team focused on all things related to campaign. You will play a central role in the development and execution of the game's visual style. Your leadership, collaboration, and technical expertise will be vital in guiding both internal teams and external vendors. 

As a Lead Environment Artist, you will: 

• Collaborate with the Art Director and internal teams to define and carry out the game's overall visual style. 
• Manage the outsourcing pipeline, including identifying and onboarding external vendors, defining the scope of work, providing feedback and art direction, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality assets. 
• Provide clear and concise feedback to both internal and external teams to ensure alignment with the studio's quality standards, technical requirements, and artistic vision. 
• Refine final art assets in industry-standard software and import them into Unreal Engine. 
• Develop and maintain comprehensive documentation, such as style guides and technical specifications, to foster consistent and efficient communication. 
• Mentor and provide feedback to artists, enhancing their skills and helping them reach their full potential. 
• Stay updated on industry trends and participate in cross-discipline discussions to refine designs and techniques. 

 To be considered for this role, we require the following: 

• Experience as a Lead, or Principal Artist (or comparable), contributing to high-quality environments for a current or next-gen PC/console release. 
• Experience managing outsourcing pipelines and collaborating with external vendors. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to provide clear feedback and art direction. 
• Proficiency with industry-specific tools such as Maya, Max, Substance Painter.
• An understanding of the technical constraints of commercial game engines. 
• A strong portfolio showcasing understanding of high-fidelity, photorealistic, environment art.

Preference will be given to candidates who have: 

• Experience working on third-person action-adventure games or similar genres. 
• Proficient in Unreal Engine. 
• Eagerness to work with external vendors.
• Willingness to grow and mentor other artists.

It'll be a bonus if you also have: 

• Shipped a AAA title in a Lead role. 
• Desire to mentor as well as produce.  

The pay range for this role includes the annual base salary, not including bonus and the generous benefits package that Crystal Dynamics provides all full-time employees. Individual compensation is determined by work location within our approved states or regions, as well as additional factors, including job related skills, experience, and relevant education.

Your recruiter will be able to share more information about total compensation.

Pay Range (United States)$110,000—$160,000 USD

Not sure if you are qualified? We hope that you will still choose to apply so we may review your application!

Crystal Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to identifying and implementing positive and persistent measures to ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment, hiring, development, training, promotion and compensation of a diverse team employee group. This includes persons of different race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, political affiliation, age, veteran status, uniform service member status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or citizenship, a