About the role
Position Overview
Beffio Studio is seeking an experienced and passionate Lead Character Artist for a permanent, fully remote role. This is a hands-on leadership position requiring the management of character art pipelines from creative vision to engine-ready implementation. Responsibilities include managing internal and external artists, setting quality benchmarks, and creating stylized and realistic characters. The candidate must have shipped 1–2 AA or AAA titles and thrive in a cross-disciplinary environment using Unity3D and Unreal Engine.
Responsibilities
- Lead the Vision: Define the artistic direction and quality standards for characters across multiple projects and styles.
- Mentor & Review: Guide and support character artists, providing thoughtful feedback and growth opportunities.
- Create Hero Assets: Deliver high-quality character models, including sculpting, retopology, texturing, and integration.
- Set Up & Optimize Pipelines: Establish efficient workflows for both stylized and realistic characters, ensuring clean topology and real-time engine optimization.
- Engine Integration: Prepare and implement assets in Unity3D and Unreal Engine, ensuring compatibility with materials, shaders, and performance needs.
- Collaborate Across Disciplines: Work closely with Art Directors, Producers, Tech Artists, and Animators to ensure characters serve gameplay and artistic goals.
- Freelancer Oversight: Review and support external artists, ensuring consistency with internal standards.
- Client-Facing Tasks: Join selected client meetings to align on visual direction or respond to feedback when needed.
Requirements
- Shipped Titles: At least 1–2 shipped AA or AAA games as a character artist.
- Stylistic Versatility: Demonstrated ability to work in both stylized and realistic character styles.
- Technical Proficiency: Expert in high-poly sculpting (ZBrush), retopology, PBR workflows (Substance Painter/Designer), and UV mapping.
- Engine Experience: Proven ability to work in Unity3D and Unreal Engine (UE4/UE5), including material setup and asset implementation.
- Leadership Experience: Previous experience mentoring artists or leading a small character team.
- Quality Awareness: Strong eye for detail, anatomy, form, proportions, and silhouette, with an ability to elevate the visual quality of a team’s work.
- Performance Optimization: Understanding of LODs, poly budgets, texture memory, and clean deformation for rigging and animation.
- Communication: Fluent in English with strong verbal and written skills.
- Portfolio: A polished portfolio showcasing high-quality stylized and realistic characters, including production-ready examples.
Bonus Skills
- Experience with Marvelous Designer or cloth simulation workflows
- Basic understanding of rigging and deformation
- Familiarity with shader/material creation
- Experience leading or working with remote teams and freelancers
- Passion for character design, storytelling, and game development
What We Offer
- Creative Ownership: Own the character pipeline from vision to execution across multiple projects.
- Remote Flexibility: Work from anywhere, with core hours between 10:00–15:00 CET.
- Stable Collaboration: Long-term engagement with flexible contract options (B2B or employment).
- Paid Time Off: Minimum 20+ days of paid holidays annually.
- High-Profile Projects: Work on games with international exposure and creative impact.
- Growth Path: Opportunities to evolve into Art Director or Department Lead roles.
- Yearly Retreats: Participate in team getaways designed to recharge, align, and celebrate our wins.
- Modern Pipeline: Work with cutting-edge tools and a remote-first production ecosystem.
Company Background
Beffio Studios is a co-development art studio established in 2013, serving as a partner for game developers and entertainment publishers. The studio excels in delivering top-tier game art production, from concept art to final implementation. The team is proficient in Unreal Engine, Unity3D, Nvidia Omniverse, Houdini, and the Adobe Suite. Notable recognition includes a 2018 Unity Award for Best Artistic Content, with experience collaborating on projects for clients including Nike, Square Enix, and MIT.