Expert Lighting Artist

Expert Lighting Artist

Sledgehammer Games is a leading developer in the video game industry, best known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise. Since our inception in 2009, the studio has delivered iconic titles like including Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: WWII (2017), and, most recently, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

As industry leaders in first-person shooter development, our commitment to excellence is reflected in every detail of our games, from highly polished multiplayer experiences to emotionally engaging single-player campaigns. At Sledgehammer Games, we believe in pushing boundaries, redefining the possibilities of interactive storytelling, and setting new standards for visual and gameplay fidelity. Together, we aim to deliver world-class gaming content that continues to set the bar for quality, innovation, and player engagement.

We are excited to invite a talented and passionate Expert Lighting Artist to join our growing team based in our Guildford, UK studio. In this role, you will work collaboratively with our talented teams across the globe, including our locations in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. If you're ready to be part of a dynamic and collaborative environment where your skills can make a real impact, we invite you to explore career opportunities with us.

To learn more about our studio, please visit us at https://www.sledgehammergames.com/

Please note: This is not a remote role. This is a hybrid position based in our Guildford Studio, offering flexibility with a combination of in-studio and remote workdays. Permanent remote work is not available for this position.

Your Mission

Are you a video games enthusiast who enjoys first-person-shooters and has a passion for digital lighting, art, and photo realistic quality?

The lighting team are the gatekeepers of mood, visual storytelling, and are one of the primary drivers of player emotion. We work closely with our art and creative directors to evoke player emotion and drive what’s most important to us: Gameplay. In this role, you will be an integral, and critical member of our small but agile team. As our newest teammate, you will work side by side with our Lighting Leads. Together, you will help execute some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in video games. You and our team will be accomplishing this by having routine 1:1s, weekly team meetings, you will have an in-depth training period, and open dialog / high communication with adjacent teams.

Your directives:

• Responsible for creating game-play and in-game cinematic lighting based on direction from the Art Director.
• Ensure that lighting assets meet runtime and disk budgeting requirements.
• Anticipate, identify, and report any potential production problems and communicate those to the Lead.
• Work collaboratively with other departments: Character, VFX, and especially Environment Art.
• Work independently and with other leads and directors to create an optimal lighting pipeline for the product.
• Stay current with industry lighting techniques.
• Work with Rendering engineers to push our engine further.
• Creation of the sky dome and cloud assets.
• Find creative ways to set industry standards.
• Create workflows and best practices for the lighting team.
• Mentor other Lighting artists, and help build an environment of creativity, trust and excellence.

The skills we seek:

• Extensive prior experience in a Lighting role, with prior experience gained in the gaming industry).
• Excellent working knowledge of Maya and Photoshop or equivalent.
• In-depth knowledge of physically based lighting.
• Strong understanding of advanced lighting fundamentals.
• Strong sense of lighting theory; color space, exposure, light fixtures, natural light, reflections etc.
• Proven track-record of leading and inspiring teams.
• Understanding of composition and the ability to enhance mood with lighting.
• Effectively use color grading and post effects to enhance the final image.
• Working knowledge of industry standard rendering concepts and processes.
• Experienced with Unreal, Unity, or other proprietary engines.
• Experience with PBR & HDR lighting.
• Familiarity with ray tracing/path tracing systems.
• Ability to use AI as a development tool.

Bonus Points

• Experience with one or more scripting/programming languages.
• Experience with Houdini.
• Knowledge of photography principles and image correction techniques.
• Experience playing Call of Duty or similar FPS games

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.