Principal Game Artist

Company Overview

Zynga is a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive. With games downloaded over 6 billion times, the company connects players in 175+ countries. The diverse game portfolio includes titles such as FarmVille, Words With Friends, Zynga Poker, Game of Thrones Slots Casino, Wizard of Oz Slots, Hit it Rich! Slots, Wonka Slots, Top Eleven, Toon Blast, Empires & Puzzles, Merge Dragons!, CSR Racing, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells, Match Factory, and Color Block Jam. Headquartered in California with teams across North America, Europe, and Asia, Zynga focuses on combining fun with innovation.

What you'll do

• Define and elevate the artistic vision: Drive the visual direction of new and existing casual mobile games, exploring distinctive and engaging art styles that support gameplay, strengthen the player experience and bring both new and established IP to life.
• Lead through hands-on creativity: Create high-quality concepts, mock-ups and game-ready assets across 2D, 3D and AI-assisted workflows. Set the benchmark for artistic excellence through your own work, from early exploration to final in-game implementation.
• Champion AI-driven creative workflows: Explore and integrate AI-assisted tools into the art production process, combining technical expertise with strong artistic judgment. Develop efficient, repeatable workflows that accelerate iteration while maintaining creative quality and visual consistency.
• Prototype, iterate and innovate: Rapidly develop and test visual concepts, using player insights, feedback and performance data to refine the artistic direction. Embrace experimentation and adapt quickly to identify the strongest creative opportunities.
• Provide artistic leadership and mentorship: Act as a creative reference for artists across game art, VFX, UI and animation. Share expertise, provide constructive feedback and help raise the overall quality of the team's work through collaboration and mentorship, without the need for direct people management.
• Collaborate across disciplines: Partner closely with game designers, developers, producers and marketing teams to ensure artistic decisions align with gameplay objectives, technical requirements and the overall player experience.
• Drive quality and consistency: Establish and maintain high visual standards throughout development, ensuring that art assets, styles and creative solutions deliver a cohesive, polished and engaging experience for players.

Skills to create thrills

• Extensive experience as a Lead or Principal Artist in the gaming industry, with a strong portfolio demonstrating artistic excellence and creative ownership.
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted art creation and a passion for exploring emerging creative technologies, combining technical expertise with 2D and 3D mastery to deliver compelling visual styles.
• Exceptional artistic skills and hands-on expertise across both 2D and 3D art production.
• Strong art direction capabilities, with the ability to define, develop and execute compelling visual styles.
• Practical experience with AI-assisted art creation and a passion for exploring emerging creative technologies.
• An excellent understanding of casual mobile game aesthetics, visual trends and player expectations.
• Ability to rapidly prototype, iterate and adapt creative work in a fast-paced development environment.
• Strong understanding of game art pipelines, technical constraints and in-game asset implementation.
• A player-focused mindset, with the ability to connect artistic decisions to gameplay and engagement.
• Proven ability to influence creative direction, mentor fellow artists and elevate artistic quality without formal management responsibilities.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across multiple disciplines.

Bonus points

• Experience working in small, agile teams, new game development or rapid prototyping environments.
• Hands-on experience implementing art assets directly in Unity.
• Experience in world building, animation, VFX or video production.
• Experience developing new IP or adapting established IP for new game experiences.
• Experience building or optimizing AI-assisted art production pipelines.
• Previous experience contributing to the visual direction of successful casual mobile games.

Diversity and Inclusion

Zynga is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds. Employment is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic regardless of race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other protected characteristics.

Support and accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities or health conditions. Requests may be directed to accommodationrequest@zynga.com.

Recruitment Security Notice

Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram or WhatsApp. Zynga does not engage in financial exchanges during recruitment and will never ask for personal or financial information over unofficial chat channels. Official communication will only occur through authorized company email domains (zynga.com, take2games.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs).