Character Artist

Frontier is an independent video game developer and publisher, crafting immersive gaming experiences with fun gameplay and unparalleled artistic quality. Renowned for its iconic creative management simulation games, Frontier captivates players worldwide with immersive and authentic game worlds. The modern studio is located in the vibrant technology hub of Cambridge (UK). The talented team at Frontier are dedicated to nurturing our existing portfolio and delivering our exciting future roadmap. This role can be on a hybrid working basis, which means you will have the opportunity to spend time working both in the studio and at home. We can provide a comprehensive relocation support package as part of any offer, should you need to relocate.

WHAT’S THE ROLE? We’re looking for an Experienced Character Artist to join our team. As a company we produce a wide spectrum of subject matter from stunningly photorealistic animals to beautifully stylised characters, so populating our games is always a rewarding experience. As an Experienced Character Artist in our world-class team, you will be building the cast for the next generation of Frontier games. This is a fantastic opportunity to contribute to our ambitious future roadmap of games.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

• Creating game-ready 3D models and textures using Maya, ZBrush and Substance Painter.
• Collaborating with fellow Character Artists to maintain the highest quality throughout development, delivering models on budget, on time and in the appropriate art style.
• Bringing a new perspective, and where appropriate, suggesting potential improvements to existing pipelines.
• Actively participating in team meetings and contributing to the overall development process.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Ability to work collaboratively and take on feedback and guidance from the rest of the team.
• Experience with translating 2D concepts or reference into 3D Character models.
• Making artistic decisions to troubleshoot the transformative process and refine the final 3D design.
• An ability to work within an established art style.
• An exceptional level of character modelling in ZBrush.
• Extensive knowledge of preferred 3D packages such as Maya.
• Proven ability across all aspects of character modelling, including anatomical, cloth and hard-surface modelling.
• Excellent Substance Painter texturing skills, targeting physically based rendering.
• Familiarity with the entire real-time character pipeline from high-poly sculpting, retopology, UV mapping, baking, texture creation and ending in the set up and exporting of assets to game.
• An awareness of the importance of efficient UV layouts and mesh topology, to ensure that character models deform well when animated.
• Experience with PBR materials and real-time engines.
• A good grasp of best working practices in terms of LOD creation and optimisation.
• An understanding of development pipelines, including how your work will be used in dependent disciplines.
• An ability to create clear briefs for work and give realistic estimates for each task.
• Excellent communications skills are essential.

BONUS IF YOU HAVE

• An adaptable attitude to working across a breadth of art styles.
• Well-rounded general art skills, for example an aptitude for 2D drawing.
• An interest in sculpting creatures and animal anatomy.
• An Art degree or relevant game art course.
• Production experience on a shipped title.

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU You will work with talented and passionate people to support, develop or publish our sophisticated and enduring games, in a creative, collaborative and inclusive environment. We love what we do, and we work hard to provide outstanding experiences for our players. Wellbeing is a big focus at Frontier, and we are continually evolving how we can support our people. We encourage a healthy work/life balance and provide a range of wellbeing activities, initiatives and sessions to support both mental and physical health. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, which includes a success-based annual bonus, share option schemes, life assurance, private family healthcare, flexitime working hours, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, in-house subsidised catering, support with relocation, a Cycle to Work scheme, free bike servicing, and social activities and events. We strive to create an environment where everyone can fully demonstrate their capability and potential. If you therefore need any reasonable adjustments to support you during the recruitment process, please speak to your Talent Acquisition representative.