Pokémon GO is the global gaming sensation that has been downloaded over 1 billion times and named “Best Mobile Game” by the Game Developers Choice Awards and “Best App of the Year” by TechCrunch. Pokémon GO follows Niantic’s mission of encouraging outdoor exploration, exercise, and significant social interactions, and has grossed over $6B in revenue since its debut in 2016. In order to delight our millions of players across the globe, the Pokémon GO team requires motivated and skilled individuals to develop new features and look for creative ways to optimize a continually growing game.
We are seeking a Technical Artist with creative and technical expertise to help across a variety of live-game challenges and features. You will work with cross-functional partners and bridge technical and creative aspects of game development. You will leverage your curiosity and passion for mobile games to develop best in class game features.
Responsibilities
Collaborate with art, design, engineering, and product teams to build features and solve creative problems.
Build rapid prototypes of experimental features using Unity 3D or other mobile platform tools.
Iterate on Unity 3D scene implementation to finalize product and creative requirements.
Create performant graphics shaders for beautiful visuals.
Facilitate communication and collaboration between art and engineering.
Collaborate with cross-functional team members and stakeholders, including regular and reliable attendance and participation in meetings.
Required in-office 2 days on Wednesday and Thursday.
Qualifications
3+ years as a Technical Artist or similar role.
Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills.
Experience in Python, C#, or similar scripting languages.
Experience in modern 3D game engines such as Unity 3D.
Knowledge of optimization and performance profiling of real-time 3D content and pipelines for mobile platforms.
Familiarity across multiple areas of Tech Art such as animation, graphics, pipelines and tooling, scripting gameplay, etc.
Ability to work in a fast-paced hybrid environment and handle stress appropriately and/or ability to solve practical problems and be sufficiently adaptable to handle dynamic situations with little advance notice.
Experience working on cross-functional teams with ability to communicate effectively through written and verbal communications, including synchronous interactions with others.
Plus If...
BS or MS degree in design, games-related or technical field.
Solid artistic skills (color, shape, light, motion).
Experience collaborating within a multi-person game studio.
Experience writing shaders (HLSL or GLSL).
Experience developing tools for artists or designers.
The total compensation package for this position includes a new hire offer base salary range of $121,000 - $148,000 + bonus + equity + benefits.
Individual pay within this salary range is determined by work location and additional factors, including assessed job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can answer any questions about new hire total compensation during the hiring process. An overview of benefit offerings for your location can be found on the careers page.
Join the Niantic team!
Niantic is the world’s leading AR technology company, sparking creative and engaging journeys in the real world. Our products inspire outdoor exploration, exercise, and meaningful social interaction.
Originally formed at Google in 2011, we became an independent company in 2015. Some of our current consumer titles include pioneering global-control game Ingress, record-breaking AR game Pokémon GO, and Pikmin Bloom. In November 2021, we launched our developer platform, Lightship, enabling creators to build immersive AR experiences around the globe. Our basketball universe has come to life, as we recently launched one of the most innovative sports games ever, in partnership with the NBA. NBA ALL-World is now live and playable globally! Niantic is an Equal Opportunity employer.
We believe that cultivating a workplace where our people are supported and included is essential to creating great products our community will love. Our mission emphasizes seeking and hiring diverse voices, including those who are traditionally underrepresented in the technology industry, and we consider this to be one of the most important values we hold close.
Niantic is a hybrid first company. We believe that in person interaction and collaboration fosters creativity, a sense of community, and is critical to our future success as a company. Our hybrid work schedules allow for a mix of remote and in-office work.
We're a hard-working, fun, and exciting group who value intellectual curiosity and a passion for problem-solving! We have growing offices located in San Francisco, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto, Bellevue, Kansas, New York, London, Tokyo, Hamburg, Hyderabad, and Zurich.