Rebellion is seeking Lead Lighting Artist, UK in Oxford

Rebellion has spent three decades as a fiercely independent force in the global entertainment landscape. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley, we are the architects behind world-class video games, a high-tech film studio, immersive board games, and the legendary 2000AD comics featuring Judge Dredd. Rebellion is currently seeking a visionary Lead Lighting Artist to join our centralized art team in Oxford. Unlike a standard project-specific role, this is a studio-wide leadership position. You will act as the master of atmosphere across our entire portfolio, overseeing the warm glow of a campfire in one project and the oppressive, flickering neon of a dystopian city in another. This role is about setting the gold standard for lighting quality, consistency, and technical innovation across all Rebellion titles.

The Mission: Sculpting with Light

At Rebellion, we believe lighting is the most powerful tool for storytelling. It guides the player’s eye, reinforces the narrative stakes, and defines the emotional resonance of every scene. As the Lead Lighting Artist, you will be the primary architect of these environments. Using our proprietary in-house engine, you will work across projects at various stages of development—from early pre-production mood boards to final gold-master optimization. This is a scintillating opportunity for a veteran artist who thrives on variety. You will not be locked into a single aesthetic; instead, you will adapt your skills to match the diverse creative visions of our various Art Directors, ensuring that whether it is an awe-inspiring sunset or a lonely, rain-slicked lamppost, the quality remains world‑class.

Key Responsibilities

• Artistic Vision & Ownership
  • Defining Excellence: Work closely with Art Directors across multiple projects to establish a high-quality lighting vision that aligns with the game’s creative pillars.
  • Atmospheric Design: Craft compelling, high-fidelity lighting that uses color theory, exposure, and contrast to create tone, mood, and essential player guidance.
  • Consistency: Take ownership of the visual output across concurrent projects, ensuring that lighting remains consistent with the narrative intent throughout the production cycle.
• Technical Leadership & Pipeline Innovation
  • Pipeline Development: Contribute directly to the evolution of our lighting tools, workflows, and documentation. You will identify friction points in the creative process and work with engine programmers to resolve them.
  • Optimization Mastery: Maximize visual fidelity while maintaining high performance. You will make informed technical trade-offs to ensure our games run smoothly across all target platforms without sacrificing aesthetic impact.
  • PBR Workflows: Apply expert knowledge of Physically Based Rendering (PBR) and real-time engine constraints to maintain industry-leading best practices.
  • Team Upskilling: Act as a mentor for lighting artists and provide training for environment artists. You will be responsible for raising the “lighting IQ” of the entire studio.
  • Cross-Discipline Synergy: Collaborate with VFX, Environment Art, and Level Design teams to ensure lighting supports broader gameplay needs and visual standards.
  • Proactive Communication: Seek out feedback, provide constructive critiques to peers, and manage tasks and priorities across multiple deadlines with minimal oversight.

Requirements & Qualifications

We are looking for a rare blend of artistic “flair” and technical “grit.” The ideal candidate is a veteran who understands the science of light as well as the art of it.

• Core Essentials:
  • Expert Portfolio: A world-class showcase of real-time lighting work. This must include examples of PBR shading, realistic outdoor/indoor lighting, and a clear understanding of cinematic composition within a game engine (Unreal, Unity, or proprietary).
  • Fundamental Mastery: An expert grasp of light behavior, color theory, exposure, and the psychological impact of contrast.
  • Proven Professional Experience: A significant track record of shipping high-quality games where your lighting directly enhanced gameplay and navigation.
  • Multi-Project Management: Demonstrated ability to manage competing priorities across different projects or teams simultaneously.
  • Technical Problem-Solving: A proactive approach to identifying and resolving engine-specific technical hurdles before they become bottlenecks.
• Desirable Pluses:
  • Leadership Background: Previous experience in a Lead or Senior role, particularly within a “service team” or centralized model.
  • HDR Mastery: Familiarity with HDR authoring workflows and calibration for various display types (OLED, LED, etc.).
  • Proprietary Engines: Experience working with in-house or non-commercial engines where you’ve had to help shape the toolset.
  • Cinematic Background: An understanding of traditional film lighting techniques (three-point lighting, rim lighting, etc.) and how they translate to interactive environments.
  • Post-Processing Knowledge: Deep understanding of tone-mapping, bloom, color grading (LUTs), and auto-exposure pipelines.

Rebellion is a stable, people-focused studio that recognizes the importance of a healthy work-life balance. We offer an extensive benefits package:

• Generous Annual Leave: 22 days holiday + Christmas closure (typically 4 days) + all Bank Holidays. This increases annually after 5 years of service up to a maximum of 31 days.
• Healthcare & Protection: Private Medical Insurance, a healthcare cash plan (including dental and vision), life assurance, income protection, and critical illness cover.
• Family Support: Enhanced family leave and an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for mental health and wellbeing support.
• Financial Perks: Interest-free and tax-free loans, plus an enhanced pension scheme.
• Studio Culture: Regular social events, free hot drinks, an onsite tuck shop, and a range of local discounts.

Life at the Oxford HQ

Our riverside headquarters is located just a short walk from Oxford’s historic city center. Oxford offers a unique blend of tradition and modernity—boasting world-renowned architecture, lush green spaces, and a vibrant cultural scene.

Unrivaled Transport Links: The studio is close to the Oxford train station, offering direct and frequent services to London (approx. 50 mins), Birmingham, Manchester, and Reading.

The Workspace: Our open-plan office is designed to promote innovation and cross-departmental collaboration. We provide free parking on-site and are surrounded by excellent local pubs and dining options.

As one of the UK’s largest independent developers, we enjoy a level of creative freedom that is rare in the AAA space. We aren’t beholden to external shareholders; we make the games we want to play. We foster an inclusive culture where neurodiversity, gender, ethnicity, and all backgrounds are celebrated. We believe that a representative team makes better products. We work in our own way, with sensibly managed projects and a focus on long-term stability. If you want to work in an environment where your voice is heard and your artistic talent is truly harnessed, Rebellion is the place for you.

Application Instructions

To apply, please submit the following:

• A Comprehensive Resume: Detailing your professional history in game lighting.
• Portfolio Link (Required): Highlighting your expert-level real-time lighting work.
• Cover Letter: Tell us about a specific lighting challenge you’ve faced and how you overcame it technically and artistically.

Note: This role is based on-site in Oxford. Applicants must possess the permanent right to work in the UK without sponsorship.