As a 3D Character Artist at Riot, you will bring characters to life by crafting and texturing high and low poly models. You will help build some of the most iconic characters and skins in the world of gaming. Your sculpting skills, artistic eye and understanding of anatomy, form, and color will lead the way in character and skin creation. Working within both technical and design constraints, you will use your knowledge of proportions, anatomy and readability to ensure models are optimized in game. You'll be self-guided and help raise the bar for character art at Riot. You will be a mentor to other character artists and support the upholding and sometimes creation of style guides. Your craft expertise and high-level execution will enrich the player’s immersive experience.

As a Principal 3D Character Artist on Teamfight Tactics, you will bring the next generation of player experiences to life by creating new champions and introducing new skins of existing champions from the world of League of Legends. You will establish and maintain quality bars for the craft, lead new style explorations, and define pipeline / process standards. You will lean on your years of experience to help build some of the most iconic characters in the world of gaming. Your sculpting skills, artistic eye and understanding of anatomy, form, and color will lead the way in character creation. Working within both technical and design constraints, you will use your knowledge of proportions, anatomy and readability to ensure models are optimized in game. Your craft expertise and high-level execution will enrich the player’s immersive experience. You will report to the Art Director for TFT’s Major Projects initiative. 

Responsibilities

• Guide the artistic benchmark and asset production for characters across various gameplay experiences
• Create new characters for the Runeterra IP
• Collaborate with Concept Art, Technical Art, Animation, VFX, Narrative, Audio, Design and Engineering teams to bring your characters to life
• Run healthy and productive craft review sessions
• Mentor artists on the team, helping them become masters of their craft
• Establish process milestones and workflow guidelines while promoting healthy collaboration between various League Studios teams
• Drive the development and documentation for style guides and standard operating procedure guidelines
• Communicate with Production and art discipline leads
• Contribute to resource allocation and scoping efforts across the Character Art Team

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience creating 3D character art in AAA gaming
• Experience in 3D/2D Software in Maya, ZBrush, Photoshop and Substance Painter
• Deep understanding of human anatomy, form, and color theory
• Professional or personal work samples of stylized characters included in your portfolio

Desired Qualifications:

• Familiarity with the League of Legends IP and skins universe
• Experience working with vendors, giving direction and delivering clear feedback

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 focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and 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.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you’re working directly on a new player-facing experience or you’re supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we’re better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we’re looking forward to your application.

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.