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Experienced Character Artist

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Frontier is an independent video game developer and publisher, crafting immersive gaming experiences with fun gameplay and unparalleled artistic quality. Renowned for its iconic creative management simulation games, Frontier captivates players worldwide with immersive and authentic game worlds. The modern studio is located in the vibrant technology hub of Cambridge (UK). The talented team at Frontier are dedicated to nurturing our existing portfolio and delivering our exciting future roadmap. 

This role can be on a hybrid working basis, which means you’ll have the opportunity to spend time working both in the studio and at home. We can provide a comprehensive relocation support package as part of any offer, should you need to relocate.  

WHAT’S THE ROLE

We’re looking for an experienced Character Artist to join our team. As a company we produce a wide spectrum of subject matter from stunningly photoreal to beautifully stylised, so populating our game worlds is always challenging and interesting. As an experienced Character Artist in our world-class team, you will be building the cast for the next generation of Frontier games.

This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to our ambitious future roadmap of games. 

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

  • Creating high-fidelity real-time game characters using Maya, ZBrush and Substance Painter.
  • Bringing your understanding to the character being created; their narrative, motivations and how they interact with the game world.
  • Collaborating with fellow Character Artists – both within Frontier and at external vendors - to maintain the highest quality throughout development, delivering models on budget, on time and in the appropriate art style.
  • Bringing a new perspective and where appropriate, suggesting potential improvements to existing pipelines.
  • Providing clear and meaningful feedback to internal and outsource artists.

WHAT YOU’LL BRING

  • A good team player, able to work collaboratively and take on feedback and guidance from the rest of the team.
  • Excellent attention to detail. 
  • An ability to work within an established art style.
  • An exceptional level of high-polygon character modelling in ZBrush.
  • Extensive knowledge of 3D packages such as Maya, Blender or 3ds Max (Maya preferred).
  • Proven ability across all aspects of character modelling, including anatomical, cloth and hard-surface modelling.
  • Excellent Substance Painter texturing skills, targeting physically-based rendering.
  • Familiarity with the entire real-time character creation pipeline: high-poly sculpting, retopology, UV mapping, texture baking, texture creation and setting up and exporting to game.
  • An awareness of the importance of mesh topology, to ensure that character models deform well when animated.
  • Experience with PBR and real-time engines.
  • A good grasp of best working practices in terms of LOD creation and optimisation.
  • An understanding of development pipelines, including how your work will be used in dependent disciplines.
  • An ability to create clear briefs for work and give realistic estimates for each task.
  • Excellent communications skills are essential.

BONUS IF YOU HAVE

  • A flair for interpreting concept art, turning character sketches into 3D models that accurately capture the spirit of the concept.
  • An adaptable attitude to working across a breadth of art styles, from high-detail realism to cartoon stylisation.
  • Well-rounded general art skills, for example an aptitude for 2D drawing.
  • An interest in sculpting creatures and animal anatomy.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

You will work with talented and passionate people to support, develop or publish our sophisticated and enduring games, in a creative, collaborative and inclusive environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our players. 

Wellbeing is a big focus at Frontier, and we are continually evolving how we can support our people. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and provide a range of wellbeing activities, initiatives and sessions to support both mental and physical health.  

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success-based annual bonus, share option schemes, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, in-house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme, free bike servicing, and social activities and events. 

We strive to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their capability and potential. If you therefore need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition representative.  

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Top Tips

  • We would love to see a great portfolio with all of your best work. Make sure that the work in your portfolio is a true reflection of your abilities – be it art, iconography, clever solutions to tricky design issues or code examples to solve complex issues. 

  • When showing work, make sure it is clear to see what your personal involvement was. At the end of the day, we are hiring you, not your team.