Principal Technical Artist - Unpublished R&D Product

As a Technical Artist for Tools/Pipeline, you'll help breathe life into Riot Games content. You'll employ your expert-level knowledge of 3D tools and commercial engines to build tools, maintain pipelines, and provide technical support for content creators on their most critical missions. You will establish and improve the systems, tools, rigs, assets, and workflows that unleash the creativity of our artists and allow the production of the best possible art content for our players. You will critique work, mentor fellow Rioters, and foster the long-term growth of a group of artists.

As a Principal Technical Artist at Riot Discovery Studio, you will support various aspects of game art creation. The ideal candidate has a strong background in technical character production and animation, with experience implementing prototype design features in game engines. Additionally, they should have a broad skill set in content creation, including environment and prop art, to develop and integrate prototype assets. During the prototyping phase, this role will require versatility as an art generalist. As the game progresses, the focus will shift toward a more specialized Principal Technical Artist role.

Responsibilities:

• Create block-in models and placeholder assets to help achieve R&D prototype goals
• Ensure art assets support the core gameplay experience, rapidly iterating and testing as necessary. 
• Rig characters, creatures, and animated props, working closely with animators to achieve engaging in-game animation performance
• Explore and define asset creation workflows that allow for rapid content creation and iteration alongside gameplay prototyping goals
• Define early asset creation pipelines with your understanding of optimized low poly asset creation such as modular kits & placeholder assets to take into account efficiency, speed, and cross dependencies
• Evaluate new systems and technology that support the artistic, product, and gameplay goals.
• Build close relationships with the artists and engineers you work alongside with to understand their needs and provide leadership on tool and pipeline development

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years experience as a technical artist in games or related industries
• Character focused AAA game on either PC or console
• Strong art skills and deep understanding of modeling, shaders, texturing, & lighting for games
• Proficiency in VEX/Python/C++ (or comparable languages) to drive procedural content creation processes.
• Experience building workflows or tools for technical and non technical content creators.
• Deep understanding of content pipelines and upcoming content creation trends 
• Good understanding of different art content modeling, shaders, texturing, VFX, lighting with deeper understanding in animation
• Excellent debugging skills

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with the technical requirements for a variety of game engines.
• Expertise in content creation and tool development in DCC tools, especially Houdini, Maya, Photoshop, and Substance Designer/Painter

As a part of the application process, candidates will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be asked to complete an art test.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Our Perks:

Riot has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.