# Senior Character Modeler

## Details

- **Company:** [Makeshift Software](https://hitmarker.net/companies/makeshift-software.md)
- **Location:** Columbus, Ohio, USA
- **Contract type:** Full Time
- **Level:** Senior \(5+ years\)
- **Salary:** $140000 - $150000 / year
- **Tags:** 3D, Animation, Game Development
- **Posted:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** [View and apply on Hitmarker](https://hitmarker.net/jobs/makeshift-software-senior-character-modeler-4717122)

## Description

[**Makeshift Software Inc**](https://makeshift.software) | Remote (3–6 months) → Hybrid On-Site **Full-Time**

### About Hexborn

**Hexborn** is our upcoming dark fantasy action RPG — a brutal blend of hack-and-slash combat, deep dungeon crawling, guild progression, and player-driven rivalry set in a world consumed by an ever-expanding corruption known as the Graveglass Blight. Players rise from an unknown mage into the leader of a legendary guild, mastering arcane combat, recruiting allies, forging relics, and descending into cursed ruins and large-scale raids to uncover the truth behind their rare ability to fly.


The demo is live now on [Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/4810690/Hexborn_Demo/).

We're in the midst of an art direction shift — moving from a strongly stylized anime aesthetic into a blend of photorealism and anime influence. We need a character modeler who can help define what that new visual identity actually looks like in 3D, not just execute an existing style guide.

### The Role

We're looking for an experienced Senior Character Modeler to build the heroes, allies, and enemies that populate **Hexborn**. 

You'll take concept art from our art team and turn it into rigged, production-ready 3D models that hold up under both stylized and photorealistic lighting — a core requirement given our current pivot toward a hybrid aesthetic.


This is a hands-on, high-ownership role. You won't just be executing a fixed spec — you'll be helping shape how our new visual direction translates from concept to screen, working closely with concept artists, riggers, and animators throughout.

### Our Current Direction

We're actively pivoting from a strongly stylized anime style toward a blend of photorealism and anime aesthetics. For a sense of the target look:

1. [Reference 1](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/qJanLL)
2. [Reference 2](https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/ravens-s2-templar-knight-preview-0ad600f019414d15b2d3a2fb47e331a2)

### Perks & Tools

- **OptiTrack Prime 41** motion capture system
- **Faceware Mark IV** mocap helmets for facial performance capture
- Industry-grade workstation, built to spec: [see our standard build](https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Copywright/saved/sFc7pg)
- Remote-first for the first 3–6 months, transitioning to hybrid on-site thereafter

### Work Arrangement

We'll start fully remote for a 3–6 month grace period while you ramp up and get embedded with the team, then transition to a hybrid on-site schedule.

Columbus is also a genuinely affordable place to build a life relative to the coastal cities most gamedev careers run through. Cost of living runs roughly:

**50%** below Seattle and Santa Cruz — driven mostly by housing, where Columbus's median home price (around **$263K**) compares to *$808K* in Seattle and **$1.24M** in Santa Cruz — and it stays competitive even against Montreal, historically one of the more **cost-conscious** major gamedev hubs in North America.

[Makeshift Software Inc](https://makeshift.software)*. is the developer and publisher of **Hexborn**.*