Art Lead, New Game (AAA RPG)

About the role

The Art Lead will join Scopely's Slate Development Group in the US on a hybrid or remote basis (Hybrid in Culver City). Scopely is a global team of game lovers developing, publishing, and innovating the mobile games industry. They are currently developing a AAA action RPG based on a world-renowned IP and are seeking a Principal Artist with strong artistic authority, deep worldbuilding sensibility, and hands-on 3D game development expertise.

Responsibilities

• Art Direction & Visual Quality
• Uphold and evolve the game’s visual identity, tone, and worldbuilding
• Ensure a cohesive visual experience across characters, environments, VFX, and UI
• Apply strong understanding of: Composition (visual, gameplay, and cinematic), Lighting, materials, and atmosphere
• Environmental storytelling and realism
• External Studio Leadership
• Partner with our external development studio to guide and coordinate art quality across characters, environments, VFX, UI, and more to achieve AAA-quality output
• Help establish and maintain efficient art workflows, feedback loops, and quality standards across time zones
• Translate creative vision into clear, actionable direction for external teams
• Quality Bar & Visual Development
• Perform paintovers, visual callouts, and written feedback to elevate the art to a AAA-quality bar
• Identify visual risks early and proactively course-correct to maintain style, readability, and polish
• Help define and uphold the game’s visual style, ensuring consistency across all art deliverables
• Art → Game Translation
• Work closely with Tech Art, Design, and Production to ensure: Art is fully functional in-engine, Assets meet performance and gameplay readability standards
• Bridge the gap between: Concept art, Final in-game execution
• Review art submissions and playtest builds to provide concise, actionable feedback that is clear, respectful, and actionable
• Translate high-level creative direction into concrete, production-ready visual guidance for our Shanghai studio
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure art supports gameplay and performance needs
• IP Holder Collaboration
• Partner with our IP holder to establish visual guidelines, approvals, and feedback
• Clearly interpret and relay art feedback to the development team, helping them understand intent and constraints
• Ensure all art content aligns with established IP canon, while still meeting gameplay needs and driving towards a world-class player experience

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional game art experience, with at least 2+ years in a lead or senior role
• Experience working on AAA action RPGs or fantasy titles or high-end action RPGs on mobile or PC
• 3D Game Development Expertise and deep understanding of real-time game development
• Strong visual fundamentals (composition, color, lighting, anatomy, material definition)
• Comfortable doing hands-on paintovers and async visual problem-solving
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially for giving clear, constructive feedback
• Experience working with established IPs and navigating approval pipelines

Nice to Have

• Experience working with teams in China or across multiple time zones
• Familiarity with Unity pipelines and tooling
• Passion for low-fantasy / grounded worlds
• Mandarin proficiency

What to Expect

At Scopely, the annual salary range for this role is $164,000—$240,000 USD in CA, CO, NJ, NY, and WA. In addition to base pay, employees may be eligible for equity, bonuses, and a comprehensive benefits package, including healthcare benefits, retirement benefits, pet insurance, paid holidays, paid Scopely free days, and unlimited paid time off.