Free Range Games grows games the old fashioned way: we don’t put our devs in cages, we work distributedly, and we don’t use toxic work/life trade-offs. Some of our crafters have worked together from PS1 to PS5 and will tell you about carving games one triangle at a time from punch cards.

We are some of the folk behind Spider-man, Tony Hawk, Lord of the Rings, Twitch Sings, Oddworld, Shrek Super Slam, and dozens of mobile and web games. We believe every member of the team has a voice in what the game should be.

You might have seen we have a whole crop of VR games and enterprise products coming up, but what we need you for to do is one of our Unreal next gen big budget games. We need great, self-driven, challenge-seeking developers to join us in creating something really special on the latest consoles. We like developers who thrive under management neglect.

Here at FRG, we care about one thing, and that’s making a great cup of game. Sure, it may take longer to brew, and we might not call it fancy names, but I guess we just care a little more. And that’s why Free Range Games are still made by the finest devs we can muster. Cooler games for a hipper world, focused on unique mechanics and moments of wonder rather than “hours of content” and “key performance indicators.”

We prioritize community, family, and love-of-gaming over process, crunching, and TPS reports. And maybe that’s what you want too.

Free Range Games is seeking a talented, focused and creative Lead Character Artist yearning to create photo-realistic characters while taking cinematic storytelling to the next level.

You are someone who has developed AAA games, has managed amazing artists, and has been responsible for bringing characters from rough concepts to vibrant life in compelling game scenarios.

If you have developed and managed a team of artists responsible for delivering the highest quality in character artwork, we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities:

Leading the development of high quality AAA characters capable of the full range of human expression and dialog.
Reviews and trains other character artists, reviews outsourcing and gives feedback. Always on the lookout for opportunities to support your team and help them grow in their craft.
Lead by example in your willingness to grow, share and motivate others.
Understand asset limitations, project milestones, risks and work accordingly.
Produce models according to the Art Director's vision.
Strong technical skills that can be leveraged to help your team create cutting-edge characters.
Create efficient and rig friendly, low polygon models for game integration.
Proactive about elevating your team's concerns to the larger team and making sure that your discipline is well represented.
Pride in your ability to effectively listen to and communicate with every member of your team in a way that inspires a confident and respectful workplace.
Work with the technical teams to improve the production processes, tools and pipelines.

Requirements:

At least 5-8 years’ working experience in game development modeling and texturing characters.
Portfolio showing the latest work is required for this position.
Experienced with AAA game production.
Experienced with blendshape creation.
Experience in utilizing scan data in the character pipeline.
Experience with the Unreal 4 Engine and some Unreal 5 Engine.
Very good sense of human and animal anatomy and proportions.
Highly proficient in Maya, ZBrush (or equivalent software) and Photoshop.
Strong knowledge of Marvelous Designer and Substance Painter.
A critical thinker, easy to think of and adapt to new techniques in modelling and texturing.
Solid knowledge in hi-poly modeling and digital sculpting.
Strong knowledge of low poly modeling techniques and topology for animation.
Very good texturing skills, mapping and normal map extraction techniques; Understanding of PBR.
Ability to understand technical constraints and to integrate them when modeling.
Good sense of form, shape, silhouette in regards to objects.
Passion for games and strong game culture.
Ability and desire to work in creative and collaborative teams.
Ability to manage their own time and work within deadlines.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Free Range Games is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all employment practices within our organization, including hiring, recruiting, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, leave of absence, compensation, benefits, training, and apprenticeship. Free Range Games makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

E-Verify participant

Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States. Free Range Games participates in E-Verify.