Art

We are seeking an ambitious and creative World Builder to work closely with our environment art and content design teams to create unique and diverse environments that will pull the player into our world and inspire exploration. Candidates should have a strong understanding of environmental design as it applies to game play and should be able to successfully execute those ideas in engine.

Responsibilities: 

• World Building and Level Layout, composing environments using asset placement and terrain sculpting and painting
• An ability to sculpt and texture terrain to the specifications and high standards needed
• Communicate and work with designers and other artists to create convincing and thematic environments that feel natural and compelling
• Adapt to conform to the established art style
• Closely follow art and design concepts
• Have a thorough understanding of pipelines and art integration into the game
• Contribute to the creative process through original ideas and inspiration
• Participate in critiquing your work and the work of other artists 
• Work with the entire development team in an energetic and creative environment

Requirements: 

• 2+ years of professional industry experience as a Level designer / World Builder
• Experience with any proprietary terrain sculpting tool
• Excellent composition skills
• Excellent understanding of environmental design and its functions within a game
• Excellent understanding of lighting, mood, and color
• Excellent fine art skills
• Knowledge of 3D Studio Max and/or Maya, and Photoshop
• Knowledge of World machine or other terrain creation software a plus
• Candidates must show an aptitude for learning new systems quickly
• Some Level Design experience a plus
• MMO experience a plus

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking an ambitious and creative Senior Character Artist to work within our art team to create photorealistic characters, creatures clothing and armor that will pull the player into our universe. Candidates should have a strong understanding of human and animal anatomy, organic and hard surface modeling and texturing. Knowledge of Hair and Cloth simulation is a must. Ideal candidate will have either game development experience, or a cinematic/movie character creation experience.

Responsibilities:

• Create photorealistic humanoid, creature and clothing/armor models and textures with a strong grasp of form, scale and proportion.
• Communicate and work with concept art team, animation and technical artists.
• Contribute to establishing an art pipeline and art integration into the game engines.
• Contribute to the creative process through original ideas and inspiration.
• Participate in critiquing your work and the work of other artists.
• Work with the entire development team in an energetic and creative environment.      

Requirements:

• 7+ years of professional industry experience as a character artist in video games or film industries.
• At least two AAA published games credited as a character artist.
• In depth knowledge of high fidelity character modeling and texturing.
• Excellent sculpting skills in Zbrush or Mudbox.
• Texturing skills using Substance Painter or similar software.
• Strong knowledge of human and animal anatomy.
• A strong understanding of rigging and animation principles.
• Excellent fine art skills.
• Knowledge of industry software tools & pipelines (3dsmax, Zbrush, Photoshop, Marvelous Designer, Maya, Substance Painter).
• Hair and cloth simulation knowledge is a must.
• Experience in working with the 3D scanned data is a must.

Desired Skills:

• Character and weapons rigging and animation experience.
• Facial blendshape creation experience.
• Marvelous Designer experience.
• Traditional art skills such as painting and sculpture.
• Clothing design and construction knowledge is a plus.

*The position may require an art test

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking an ambitious and creative Figure Artist to work within our art team to create unique and diverse characters and creatures that will pull the player into our universe. Candidates should have a strong understanding of human and animal anatomy, character modeling and texturing as it applies to game play and should be able to successfully execute those ideas in engine.   

Responsibilities:

• Create dynamic humanoid, animal and creature models and textures with a strong grasp of form, scale and proportion while working within defined technical constraints.
• Communicate and work with concept art team, animation and technical artists.
• Adapt to the established art style.
• Closely follow art and design concepts.
• Have a thorough understanding of pipelines and art integration into the game.
• Contribute to the creative process through original ideas and inspiration.
• Participate in critiquing your work and the work of other artists.
• Work with the entire development team in an energetic and creative environment.      

Requirements:

• 3+ years of professional industry experience as a character artist.
• At least one AAA published games credited as a character artist.
• In depth knowledge of character modeling as related to game development.
• Excellent sculpting skills in Zbrush or Mudbox.
• Texturing skills using Substance Painter or similar software.
• Strong knowledge of human and animal anatomy.
• A strong understanding of rigging and animation principles.
• Excellent fine art skills.
• Knowledge of industry software tools & pipelines (3dsmax, Zbrush, Photoshop, Marvelous Designer, Maya, Substance Painter).
• MMO or RPG experience a plus. 

Desired Skills:

• Rigging and animation experience.
• Facial blendshape creation experience.
• Marvelous Designer experience.
• Hair and cloth simulation experience.
• Traditional art skills such as painting and sculpture.
• Clothing design and construction knowledge is a plus.

*The position may require an art test

ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a motivated and ambitious 3D Environment Artist that will work closely with leads and designers to create architectural elements and props that meet the highest quality standards set forth by the team.

Responsibilities:

• Have excellent skills in modeling and texturing both organic and hard surface models to the highest level possible while maintaining game restrictions and guidelines.
• Match the look, feel and style of our game.
• Be able to work with the concept team in producing quality assets and also be able to work without concept when necessary.
• Be able to problem solve and work collaboratively with the design team.
• Have a positive attitude, be a team player and have excellent communication skills both verbally and written.
• Be able to take feedback in a constructive and collaborative manner.
• Be self-motivated with an ability to critique one’s own work and meet set deadlines. 

​Requirements: 

• Have a portfolio demonstrating excellence in both 2D and 3D art.
• Have a Bachelor’s Degree in Art or at least 3 years’ experience in the industry.
• Experience in 3dStudio Max, Photoshop and Zbrush
• Passion for making excellent art

Desired Skills:

• Experience with Substance Painter and Designer are a bonus

VFX Artist         

We are seeking an enthusiastic VFX Artist to collaborate with our art and design teams and create amazing effects for The Elder Scrolls Online.

Responsibilities:

• Develop visually stunning particle and shader effects within the defined visual style through creative use of particles, geometry, and animation
• Work with the Design and Concept Art teams to develop clean, highly readable VFX that support gameplay initiatives
• Ensure that VFX assets are built efficiently and perform within performance budgets
• Concept, propose, and present creative ideas
• Collaborate with our artists, animators, designers and programmers to implement effects
• Provide creative input specific to assigned tasks

Requirements:  

• Strong understanding of particle effects technology, techniques, and implementation.
• Strong technical knowledge of effects generation within an engine
• 2+ years of professional industry experience creating effects
• Candidates must show an aptitude for learning new systems quickly
• Experience with 3D Studio Max and Photoshop
• Must have the ability to quickly conceptualize, present and execute ideas
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organization skills
• Excellent sense of scale, timing, detail, form, texture and color
• Must have the drive to conquer technical challenges

Storyboard Artist​

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Storyboard Artist to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

The ideal candidate is a skilled and experienced illustrator with a background in storyboarding for film or game cinematics, and has a firm understanding of lighting and camera direction and composition.

Responsibilities:

• Study, understand and interpret scripts and story treatments for mood, theme, action, etc.
• Work with game designers and artists in a collaborative environment to outline and clarify gameplay mechanics within the story
• Work with Narrative team and Art Director to storyboard full narrative arcs
• Work with the Art Director to outline camera and lighting direction for gameplay and narrative moments

Requirements:

• 3+ years of professional experience with a focus on storyboarding
• Portfolio of storyboard work demonstrating exceptional composition skills
• Demonstrable knowledge of camera and lighting for film
• Excellent fine art skills (sketch work and/or 3D concept work).

Desired Skills:

• Experience with 3D software such as 3DSMax or Maya
• Degree in Fine Arts, Graphic Arts or Design
• Additional concept art experience a huge plus

Principal Weapon Artist

ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Principal Weapon Artist to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

The ideal candidate is a skilled modeler with demonstrable experience creating weapon models for third and first person camera views, with a thorough understanding of the relevant design, gameplay, rigging and animation issues.

Responsibilities:

• Work together with the technical artists/animators, engineers and gameplay designers to develop our weapons pipeline
• Solve problems and establish benchmarks through prototyping
• Model and texture awesome weapons in a PBR pipeline
• Fully own asset production, and troubleshoot issues from concept to in-game completion
• Maintain a balance between visual quality and performance

Requirements:

• 5+ years of industry experience, preferably focused on mechanical/weapon modeling
• Portfolio demonstrating exceptional skill with hard surface modeling including weapons, mechanical objects, vehicles and/or character gear
• Working knowledge of technical art and performance pipelines
• Expert level proficiency within Max/Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop, and other industry standard software
• Demonstrable understanding of next gen asset creation pipelines and tools for game development
• Self-motivated and possesses the ability to work and solve problems with minimal assistance
• Highly organized with the ability to adhere to production schedules
• Well-developed communication skills and strong work ethic

Desired Skills:

• Training in traditional art mediums (painting, sculpting, etc.)
• Rigging and/or animation experience preferred

Principal Lighting Artist

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Principal Lighting Artist to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

This position requires an understanding of modern lighting techniques and an eye for artistic excellence informed by training and experience.  The ideal candidate understands real-world lighting and cinematography principles as well as game engine technology.

Responsibilities:

• Work with technical artists and engineers to outline workflow, develop tools and establish best practices for lighting in our new engine
• Work with Art and Design to create compelling and dramatic lighting scenarios for worldbuilding, gameplay and cinematics
• Work with Design to establish functional, gameplay-informing lighting systems
• Establish clear benchmarks for the team, and work with worldbuilders and additional lighting artists to consistently hit those benchmarks through production
• Maintain a balance between visual quality and performance requirements
• Match the established visual style for the game with regard to lighting execution

Requirements:

• 5+ Years of industry experience, preferably focused on lighting
• Working knowledge of modern lighting techniques in next-gen video games
• Expert level proficiency within Max/Maya, Photoshop, and other 3rd party software used in lighting
• Working knowledge of technical art and performance pipelines
• Self-motivated and has the ability to work and solve problems with minimal assistance
• Highly organized with the ability to adhere to production schedules
• Well-developed communication skills and strong work ethic
• A strong understanding of color theory and the influences of lighting on mood and story narrative
• Candidate must submit an online portfolio to be considered

Desired Skills:

• AAA development experience
• Film production experience
• Training in traditional art mediums (painting or photography)
• Knowledge of current engine technology such as CRYENGINE, UE4, or Unity
• Experience with lighting using a Physically Based Renderer

ZeniMax Online Studios is looking for a Technical Character Artist to assist with the production of characters. This technical art position will work with various members of the Figure Art team to address character rigging related issues: from in-game editing and data set up to vertex weighting adjustments. This technical artist will also be making art changes and adjustments to submitted assets, so experience with character art is important. This is a dynamic environment that will challenge you as you become a full-fledged professional game developer.

Responsibilities:

• Working closely with the Outsourcing managers, other tech artists, and character artists
• Preparation of armor, costumes, weapons, mounts and monsters for export into game
• Evaluate all incoming outsourced art for technical issues
• Adjust vertex weighting for armors, costumes, mounts, and monsters
• Geo and texture adjustments on outsourced assets when necessary
• Export adjusted geometry to engine
• Data set up of exported assets in engine
• The candidate will have to learn proprietary tools for rigging of the game-ready character meshes and internal tools for export

Requirements:

• Ability to skin meshes to various rigs
• Love of characters and animation
• Strong grasp of anatomy, form, proportion and color
• Intermediate+ understanding of character modeling and texturing principles
• Understanding of good mesh topology for deformation
• Some working experience in rigging characters for video games
• Working knowledge of 3D Studio Max, Zbrush and Photoshop
• Familiarity with game engines
• Interest in working with and supporting Artists and Animators in the production environment
• Responsive to direction
• Tenacious problem solver
• Strong aesthetic sense and ability to communicate creative ideas clearly
• Strong communication skills in general: written & spoken
• Self-sufficient and capable of independent learning

Desired Skills:

• Familiarity with modular character customization systems is a plus
• Experience with animation is a plus but not required
• Enjoy playing MMO

The Video Editor will work closely with the Marketing Director, development team and creative agencies to produce creative high definition video for broadcast, mobile and online media.

Responsibilities

• Plan, organize, create, process and edit video projects for marketing of MMORG video game using computer software
• Edit video game trailers, with the goal of conveying the emotional content and attitude of a game
• Create TV commercials, game trailers and other marketing and production materials
• Use digital equipment, in-game capture rigs and lighting kit to record scenes according to a script and under a marketing/producer team member’s oversight, providing input as needed to ensure a quality product
• Set up and operate video cameras, light kit, sound recording, and other equipment as needed to produce instructional videos
• Use audio recording equipment to capture and edit spoken audio tracks for use with other multi-media and animation productions
• Select, organize, and assemble scenes into a finished rough cut according to a script; Provide input to producer/director to boost visual, dramatic, and/or instructional value
• Optimize video for websites, mobile devises, YouTube or various other destinations
• Create and implement motion graphics using computer software
• Communicate clearly and in a timely manner with all marketing team members
• Organize and archive video assets using computer hardware and software

Requirements

• All candidates are required to submit a demo reel via online portfolio demonstrating ability to make materials of various styles
• Possess both technical and artistic expertise to push the creative envelope to new heights while adhering to brand guidelines
• Minimum of three years experience in digital video editing

• Minimum of three years of experience editing short-form work, especially trailers and commercials
• Demonstrated experience in capturing footage from video game consoles, PCs, etc
• Knowledge of video software (i.e. Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere, Motion, After Effects)
• Ability to research and recommend video-related equipment, software, and hardware
• Experience grading and color correcting video for final release
• Must be able to work quickly and efficiently, hit short deadlines, have strong organizational skills and juggle multiple projects simultaneously. Must be able to deal with high levels of stress
• Ability to work independently

• Understanding of digital file creation and delivery for web based video. Transcoding and FTP skills a must. Possess knowledge of capturing digital video from a video game format
• Must be familiar with basic to advanced color correction and proper audio mixing

Desired

• Bachelor’s degree in video/communication field (preferred) or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Knowledge of both PC and MAC OS preferred
• Adobe After Effects, Photoshop, Flash and other CS5 application experience and knowledge highly desirable

Mobile FX Artist 

The FX Artist will be responsible for designing and creating high-quality effects for our mobile team.

Responsibilities:

• Develop innovative, complex and visually stunning animated, particle and shader effects within the defined visual style.
• Creating all assets such as textures, models, and shaders relevant to visual effects art.
• Concept, propose, and present creative ideas.
• Work closely with our artists, animators, designers, and programmers to implement effects.
• Provide creative input specific to assigned tasks

Requirements:

• Strong understanding of particle effects technology, techniques, and implementation.
• Traditional 2D Drawing and Animation skills preferred.
• Strong technical knowledge of effects generation within Unity.
• Candidates must show an aptitude for learning new systems quickly.
• Experience with Photoshop and other relevant tools.
• Must have the ability to quickly conceptualize, present and execute ideas.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organization skills.
• Excellent sense of scale, timing, motion, detail, form, texture and color.
• Must have the drive to conquer technical challenges. 

ZeniMax Online is looking for a highly motivated Senior Animator to collaborate with our talented team of creative professionals bringing the creatures and characters of our worlds to life. Our teams are empowered to create, challenged to learn, and encouraged to lead. Harness your passion and creativity to develop genre-defining gameplay and interactive storytelling.

Responsibilities:

• Bring fantasy and realistic creatures and characters to life with high-quality animation
• Collaborate with design and engineering and define new gameplay mechanics
•  Contribute to the creative process with original ideas and inspiration that will shape the players' experience
• Provide artistic vision to gameplay and in-game storytelling
• Work directly with the character team to develop character and creature models with believable proportions and help define rigging, and other animation considerations.
• Autonomous problem-solving in a dynamic environment

Requirements:

• Have 5+ years of professional experience as an animator
• Experience developing new gameplay mechanics from the ground up
• Show ability to combine acting and action to bring personality and appeal to characters and monsters alike
• Can demonstrate an understanding of animation pipelines and standard industry processes
• Possess technical knowledge/abilities with respect to the implementation of animation into a game engine
• Shows a strong understanding of fundamental animation principles and the ability to clearly communicate those ideas to others
• Come from a background with experience collaborating across all disciplines
• Must show an aptitude for learning new systems quickly
• Have a minimum of BFA with a major in Animation or equivalent experience, additional related education a plus
• Have extensive knowledge of 3D Studio Max, Maya or Motion Builder

Desired Skills (Optional):

• Experience with motion capture and realistic human performance
• Training or experience with acting or combat
• Excellent drawing or related traditional art skills demonstrated in a portfolio
• Have a deep understanding of anatomy and human kinetics, demonstrated through a working knowledge of martial arts, dance, or related experience

Portfolio: Please include links to your work and clearly indicate your contributions. Resumes without work samples will not be considered.

We are seeking a senior-level concept artist that has published production experience with creating a diverse visual range of characters, environments, architecture, props and related game assets. A solid grasp of form, structure, color, and light for 2D art assets is essential.

Responsibilities

• Create the look of new assets by working closely with the Art Director to establish a consistent visual direction for armors, weapons, monsters, environments/landscapes, architecture, props, storyboards, marketing art, etc.
• Create inspiring and highly detailed, realistic production friendly concept art that stays on style with the aesthetics already established in our game. 
• Produce work with minimal supervision, in an efficient and timely manner, to maintain production schedules
• Work closely with colleagues to foster a highly communicative, coordinated team effort
• Ensure quality of related assets by maintaining responsibility over your work throughout the project's development

Requirements  

• Excellent traditional artistic skills with a strong grasp of composition, anatomy, color theory, perspective, lighting, environment, architectural, creature/character, costume and graphic design.
• Proficiency in life drawing (drawing from life and reference) as well as a strong imagination and a willingness to push the envelope, to innovate within the parameters of the game's world.
• Strong communication, excellent visual storytelling and written skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills-able to interact with team members of different disciplines.
• Good positive attitude and outlook, self-motivated, and a great team player.

We are seeking a skilled Technical Animator to help further develop our animation pipeline. The focus of this position will be on runtime animation integration and animation handling in the pipeline.

You will work with animators to develop blend graphs that produce smooth, AAA quality animation, seamlessly combining animated motion with various runtime input sources. You’ll help define animation related workflows and systems, and you’ll assist animators in all technical aspects of animation production. Working with multiple disciplines to identify effective solutions, you will serve as a communicator with the goal of ensuring all involved parties have a common understanding of the system and our shared goals.

Preference will be given to candidates who have experience writing animation authoring tools (in Max, Maya, etc.), though this is not the primary area of coverage. If you have experience programming in any form, this is a huge plus. If you have experience with MOCAP that is also beneficial. If you are technical, highly motivated and passionate about animation, please apply for this position. It’s an uncommon opportunity.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with Animation, Design and Engineering to develop the means by which these groups interact with animation data
• Play a positive, proactive role in communication between all involved departments
• Advocate for Animation while maintaining attention to performance issues
• Provide ongoing support and training to Animation throughout production cycle
• Communicate, promote and document animation related processes and best practices
• Help to identify tools that will make managing large amounts of animation possible

Requirements:

• 5 or more years industry experience
• 3-5 years runtime animation system experience (can overlap with industry experience)
• Professional experience working with 2 or more animation pipelines
• Strong technical skillset and love of getting hands dirty
• Strong understanding of kinematics and eye for animation
• Experience with runtime animation tools, techniques and capabilities (Unity, Havok Behavior, Natural Motion, or proprietary, etc.)
• Familiarity with rigging
• Some familiarity with MOCAP workflows
• Understand differences between production and runtime animation requirements and data
• Clear, demonstrable understanding of animation data and how it moves through the pipeline
• Self-sufficient, motivated and independent
• Strong communication and time management skills
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: HVK/GR2/OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.

Desired Skills:

• Some understanding of shaders
• Any programming experience
• Pyside/PyQt
• Perforce
• Experience with special effects and non-character animation
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques

Portfolio: Please include links to your work and clearly indicate your contributions. Resumes without work samples will not be considered.

ZeniMax Online Studios is seeking a Senior Technical Environment Artist to join our studio for the development of our next AAA game.  This is a chance to join an experienced group of developers in pre-production for a new IP.

The ideal candidate is a skilled Technical Artist who can think procedurally to solve problems, and has experience building large and/or complex environments.  You will be working with small, multidisciplinary groups of artists, designers and engineers to develop efficient, intuitive workflows, build production tools, and define performance metrics parameters.

Responsibilities:

• Develop efficient, maintainable workflows capable of supporting large world building efforts
• Develop world building tools for artists and designers
• Work with Engineering to develop technical guidelines and performance requirements
• Build benchmark assets that represent standards of quality and performance
• Document system and advocate best practices
• Provide support, training and mentoring to users
• Document workflows and advocate best practices

Requirements:

• Fluency in one or more languages (Python, C#, C++, MaxScript, MEL, VEX, etc.)
• Experience building extensive environments in either Game or VFX industries
• Experience working with physically based materials
• Experience with Substance Designer/Painter
• Solid technical background and an ability to design and implement systems
• Experience with procedural authoring tools such as Houdini or World Machine
• Good troubleshooting skills
• Self-sufficient and independent
• Strong communication and time management skills
• Familiarity with reality capture methods
• Familiarity with common data formats: XML/JSON/etc.
• Familiarity with common 3D data formats: OBJ/FBX/ALEMBIC/etc.

Desired Skills:

• VFX Industry experience
• Experience with Houdini
• Understanding of modern shader capabilities
• PyQt/PySide
• Perforce
• Understanding of core game data pipelines.
• Experience with special effects and shaders.
• General interest in contemporary CGI techniques.

Portfolio: Please include links to your work and clearly indicate your contributions. Resumes without work samples will not be considered.