Lead Game Artist
Job Summary
Job Description
We are seeking a Lead Game Artist to join the Sonic Mobile team, known for developing Sonic Forces, Sonic Dash, and Sonic Boom. This role is ideal for a leader passionate about nurturing live service games and understanding how art improvements impact player engagement and retention. The Lead Game Artist will focus on efficient art pipelines, character and UI development, and maintaining visual consistency. Responsibilities include inspiring and motivating the art team, planning art production, creating high-quality art, troubleshooting technical art challenges, collaborating with IP holders, and managing the art team's career development. The role requires identifying and implementing pipeline improvements, maintaining documentation, and partnering with stakeholders to deliver game improvements. A commitment to company values of determination, compassion, and collaboration is expected.
Must have:
- Strong 2D and 3D art creation skills
- Experience with Unity or equivalent game engine
- Proficient with 3DS Max, Maya, Blender, Photoshop, Painter
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
Good to have:
- Good eye for graphic design and animation
- Experience with video editing (Premiere, After Effects)
- Player-focused approach
- Interest in Sonic, SEGA, and stylized games/art
Perks:
- Flexible benefits package
- ULEV car salary sacrifice
- Life assurance
- Income protection
- Private healthcare & dental insurance
- Enhanced contributory pension scheme
- Wellbeing and work-life balance support
- Duvet day
- Volunteer day
- Free health check
- Annual flu jab
- 20 flexible work from home days (increases with service)
- Annual personal performance bonus
- Studio profit-related bonus scheme
- Free SEGA games on Steam
- Home technology discounts
- Discounted gym membership
- Ride-to-work scheme
- Core hours with flexible start/end times
- 12 days of training time per year
11 skills required
Job Details
Role Overview - Lead Game Artist - Sonic Mobile
We’re seeking a Lead Game Artist to join our Sonic Mobile team who develop Sonic Forces, Sonic Dash and Sonic Boom – games with over a billion combined downloads so far!
This unique role is perfect for a lead who sees beyond the conventional project lifecycle and understands the art of nurturing a live service game. Someone excited to see how small improvements in the game lead to big wins in player engagement, retention and community feedback.
You care about slick and efficient pipelines, constantly looking for improvements to allow the artists to support the game’s ambitions.
Most of the art updates for the live Sonic games revolve around building fun characters and exciting UI so this role will suit someone who enjoys working across a range of game art.
Responsibilities
- Inspire and motivate the art team to achieve their highest potential, driving artistic quality by example, promoting successful teamwork, and giving feedback and direction where needed.
- Help plan and prioritise art production to efficiently deliver on the game's roadmap milestones while adapting to shifting priorities in a live game environment.
- Get hands-on and create high quality art for the games.
- Maintain visual consistency in the games, while looking for ways to push quality further.
- Troubleshoot and resolve art-related technical challenges in collaboration with engineering teams.
- Work with IP holders to approve official artwork.
- Line manage the art team - perform 1-1's and support their career development.
- Identify and implement pipeline improvements that enhance efficiency and quality.
- Maintain up-to-date documentation for art processes and standards.
- Partner and coordinate with game stake holders to help deliver improvements with an insight of art implementation and resource requirements.
- Be a role model for our values of determination, compassion, and collaboration.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Strong 2D and 3D art creation skills.
- Experience with Unity or an equivalent game engine, including implementation, asset setup, and optimisation.
- Proficient with industry tools like 3DS Max, Maya or Blender, Photoshop, Painter.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Strong organizational skills and a real attention to detail.
Desirable Experience
- A good eye for quality graphic design and animation
- Experience of basic video editing (Premiere and After Effects)
- Player focused approach – you know what makes a game fun.
- An interest in Sonic, SEGA, and stylised games and art.
Why work at HARDlight?
- Access to a comprehensive flexible benefits package that includes ULEV car salary sacrifice, life assurance, income protection, private healthcare & dental insurance schemes, and an enhanced contributory pension scheme
- Wellbeing and work life balance support that includes duvet day, volunteer day, free health check and annual flu jab
- 20 flexible work from home days, that increase to 26 with long service
- Annual personal performance and studio profit related bonus scheme
- Free SEGA games on Steam and home technology discounts
- Discounted gym membership and ride-to-work scheme
- Set of core hours with flexible start and end times
- 12 days of training time a year to help improve your skills
This role is based on site at our Leamington Spa studio, UK. We offer hybrid working allowing Monday and Friday as work from home days.
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