This job listing expired on Jul 7, 2021
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Job Description:

Your Platform

Founded in 1991, Vicarious Visions has made hundreds of games, in every genre, on every conceivable game platform in the known universe. We are a studio that is built to last. Our philosophy of combining cutting-edge tech with creative innovation is evidenced in all of our products. We’ve worked on some of the most successful game franchises, including Skylanders®, Guitar Hero™, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Crash Bandicoot™, Spider-Man™ and Tony Hawk™. Our studio is located in beautiful upstate New York, only a couple of hours from NYC with access to all the Northeast has to offer.

We thrive on a culture of collaboration, respect and fun. We have built a welcoming and relaxed workplace that invites creativity and encourages individual voices. We not only give our developers a safe and warm place to incubate and grow their ideas, but also the tools and support necessary to turn those ideas into impactful and memorable experiences.

Vicarious Visions is wholly owned by Activision.

Your Mission

As a Visual Effects Artist, you will create simulations and systems that both mimic real-life phenomena and capture the imagination through fantastic visuals. We are looking for a technically proficient, artistically gifted, full stack real-time VFX artist. You should be able to rapidly create particle systems using game engine tools, have a deep understanding of effects shaders and material workflows, be able to produce meshes for a variety of uses from shader embellishment to physical simulations including destruction, and generate all types of textures, from painterly to procedural. You should understand the multifaceted relationship between amazing real-time visuals and performance and optimization. You should have a passion for investigating and inventing new techniques and workflows, along with creating documentation so those pipelines can benefit the entire team.

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

  • Work closely with the Art Director and VFX lead to generate consistently awesome visuals that support the art style of the game.
  • Take responsibility for interacting with members of all disciplines, such as environment artists and level designers, combat designers and character artists, or gameplay engineers, to implement and integrate your effects completely.
  • Generate all content required for your visual effects, including:
    • particle systems
    • textures, materials and shaders
    • meshes and animation
    • game data hookup which can often include use of timelines and scripting
  • Be reliable and self-sufficient, providing meaningful updates, responding to feedback, and delivering your work on a specified schedule.
  • Be willing to troubleshoot issues, deep dive into systems, and work closely with graphics engineers to find solutions.
  • Create assets, components and templates that are customizable and reusable for both the VFX team and the entire game development team.

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:

  • 2+ years of real-time Visual Effects experience in games.
  • Bachelor’s degree in an Art-related discipline or equivalent experience.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Excel in a collaborative and diverse fast-paced work environment.
  • Self-motivated team player who proactively seeks feedback and communication.
  • Ability to quickly learn new software and adapt to company proprietary software.
  • Strong technical problem solver.
  • Relevant 2D and 3D software experience—Photoshop, Maya, Houdini, Substance Designer.

*Please include a link to your demo reel and portfolio in your application.

Extra Points:

  • Experience with PopcornFX and/or Unreal.
  • Experience using Houdini to create dynamic and physical-based effects and integrate them into a game engine.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

Vicarious Visions is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.