Materials Artist (Contract)

About the role

ArenaNet is seeking a Materials Artist to join our team and contribute to the creation of immersive environments for our upcoming game, Guild Wars 3. The ideal candidate will have a strong portfolio showcasing their ability to create high-quality materials and assets, and will thrive in a collaborative, creative environment.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality PBR materials and surface treatments that support and elevate the project's visual direction.
• Build and manage Substance Designer graphs for tileable materials, trims, and surface detail.
• Create 3D props and environment assets for a wide range of locations in Unreal Engine 5.
• Partner closely with Tech Art, Concept Art, Environment Art, Design, and Art Direction to translate visual targets and gameplay needs into compelling in-game assets.
• Collaborate with Environment Artists to ensure materials are integrated consistently and effectively across in-game environments.
• Collaborate with Technical Artists and Engineers to improve workflows, pipelines, optimization, and asset integration processes.
• Contribute to the development and documentation of material workflows, standards, and libraries.
• Track and address material-related bugs.
• Proactively seek and apply feedback while contributing ideas that elevate the overall visual direction of the project.
• Balance artistic quality with performance, readability, gameplay needs, and production constraints.
• Continuously push the quality of the game through strong craftsmanship, iteration, and attention to detail.

Requirements

• 3+ years of professional game development experience creating environment or prop art for shipped titles.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality material and surface creation across a variety of styles and real world surfaces.
• Excellent understanding of form, composition, materials, scale, and environmental storytelling.
• Experience creating game-ready materials and assets from high-poly through optimized in-game implementation.
• Strong proficiency in Substance Designer, Maya, ZBrush, Blender, and Photoshop.
• Experience working in Unreal Engine workflows, ideally UE5.
• Understanding of physically based rendering (PBR) pipelines and modern asset creation techniques.
• Asset optimization and best practices in content creation.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills with both artistic and technical teams, with ability to both give and receive constructive criticism.
• Ability to iterate quickly while maintaining a high level of polish and craftsmanship.
• Passion for games, world building, and creating immersive player experiences.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, Game Art, Computer Science, or related field.
• Experience: 3+ years of professional game development experience.
• Software: Proficiency in Substance Designer, Maya, ZBrush, Blender, and Photoshop.
• Engineer: Experience with Unreal Engine 5.
• Workflow: Understanding of PBR pipelines and modern asset creation techniques.

Skills

• Proficient in 3D modeling and texturing tools.
• Strong understanding of lighting, shading, and materials.
• Experience with Unreal Engine 5.
• Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
• Attention to detail and strong problem-solving skills.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan.
• Flexible spending account (FSA).
• Dependent care assistance program (DCAP).

Pay

$39.58 - $57.55 per hour

Schedule

This is a 1+ year contract role.

Location

The role is remote-friendly, but we are currently prioritizing candidates who are local to the Bellevue, WA area and open to occasional onsite collaboration.