Job Title:

Expert Lighting Artist

Requisition ID:

R025776

Job Description:

Expert Lighting Artist

Sledgehammer Games is a leading developer in the video game industry, best known for its work on the Call of Duty franchise. Since our inception in 2009, the studio has delivered titles including Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, Call of Duty: WWII (2017), and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.

We are excited to invite a talented and passionate Expert Lighting Artist to join our growing team based in our Guildford, UK studio. In this role, you will work collaboratively with teams across the globe, including locations in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

To learn more about our studio, please visit us at https://www.sledgehammergames.com/

Note: This is not a remote role. This is a hybrid position based in our Guildford Studio, offering flexibility with a combination of in-studio and remote workdays. Permanent remote work is not available for this position.

Your Mission:

Are you a video games enthusiast who enjoys first-person-shooters and has a passion for digital lighting, art, and photo realistic quality?

The lighting team are the gatekeepers of mood and visual storytelling, and are one of the primary drivers of player emotion. You will work side by side with our Lighting Leads to help execute some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes in video games. You will have routine 1:1s, weekly team meetings, an in-depth training period, and open dialog with adjacent teams.

Directives:

• Responsible for creating game-play and in-game cinematic lighting based on direction from the Art Director.
• Ensure that lighting assets meet runtime and disk budgeting requirements.
• Anticipate, identify, and report any potential production problems and communicate those to the Lead.
• Work collaboratively with other departments: Character, VFX, and Environment Art.
• Work independently and with other leads and directors to create an optimal lighting pipeline for the product.
• Stay current with industry lighting techniques.
• Work with Rendering engineers to push our engine further.
• Creation of the sky dome and cloud assets.
• Find creative ways to set industry standards.
• Create workflows and best practices for the lighting team.
• Mentor other Lighting artists, and help build an environment of creativity, trust and excellence.

The skills we seek:

• Extensive prior experience in a Lighting role, with prior experience gained in the gaming industry.
• Excellent working knowledge of Maya and Photoshop or equivalent.
• In-depth knowledge of physically based lighting.
• Strong understanding of advanced lighting fundamentals.
• Strong sense of lighting theory: color space, exposure, light fixtures, natural light, reflections, etc.
• Proven track-record of leading and inspiring teams.
• Understanding of composition and the ability to enhance mood with lighting.
• Effectively use color grading and post effects to enhance the final image.
• Working knowledge of industry standard rendering concepts and processes.
• Experienced with Unreal, Unity, or other proprietary engines.
• Experience with PBR & HDR lighting.
• Familiarity with ray tracing/path tracing systems.
• Ability to use AI as a development tool.

Bonus Points:

• Experience with one or more scripting/programming languages.
• Experience with Houdini.
• Knowledge of photography principles and image correction techniques.
• Experience playing Call of Duty or similar FPS games.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Our World:

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®.

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.

Sledgehammer Games 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.