About the role
What is Technical Art?
Technical Artists make the art team more capable than it would be on its own. The art team is your customer, its problems set your priorities, and your work is judged on whether the artists it was built for actually use it.
In practice that means building the tools artists use to create content, the rigs that make characters move, the shaders that give a world its look, the rules that scatter a landscape with vegetation, and the pipelines that carry all of it into the game.
Program Overview
- Duration: 21 months
- Start Date: Summer 2027
- Location: Vancouver
Foundation Training (Eleven Weeks)
You get a brief, a deadline, and the tools art teams use every day, and you work out how to deliver. You build across all four specializations:
- Pipeline and Tools
- Character and Animation
- Rendering and Visuals
- Environment and World
What you build is reviewed by industry professionals, covering both your delivery and your collaboration with the artists. Some work is individual, and some is shared with Engineering and Publishing graduates.
Tech Stack: Unreal Engine, Maya, Python, and Perforce. The program assumes you arrive knowing one or two of these, not all four.
Strategic Rotations
Three rotations, six months each. Rotations occur across 2K studios (Hangar 13, HB Studios, Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Small Axe, and Gearbox) and central technology teams. Team placement is decided based on game timelines, team needs, and your developing focus.
Candidate Requirements
Portfolio:
- An outstanding portfolio is the first requirement.
- Must show the work and the process behind it.
- Does not have to be an art portfolio; tools, scripts, rigs, and shaders count.
- If work was collaborative, identify your specific contributions.
Technical Skills:
- Content Creation/Game Engine: Comfort in at least one package or engine such as Maya, Blender, Houdini, Substance, or Unreal Engine.
- Scripting: Ability to read code and evidence of having written code.
Key Qualities:
- Curiosity: Desire to understand how things are made.
- Persistence: Ability to troubleshoot broken, non-obvious issues until resolved.
- Communication: Willingness to spend significant time asking questions and collaborating.
Education:
- Preferred fields: Game Art, Animation, VFX, Technical Art, Computer Science, Engineering, or related fields.
- Degrees in unrelated fields are accepted if the portfolio demonstrates the necessary work.
- Must be a recent graduate.
Experience:
- No games industry experience is required.
- Relevant experience includes mod work, game jams, university projects, and freelance work.
Eligibility:
- Recent graduates from January 2025 to June 2027 are eligible to apply. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
Application Process
There are five online stages:
- Application and portfolio review
- Online written assessment
- Recorded video answers
- Take-home task
- Final interview
Submission Requirements:
- CV/resume and a portfolio (ArtStation, personal site, GitHub, itch.io, reel, or PDF).
- If your work is hosted in multiple places, provide links and specify where to start.
- Cover letters are optional but recommended if your resume does not explicitly reflect Technical Art experience.
Compensation and Benefits
- Base Salary: $85,000 CAD per year (subject to market location, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and business considerations).
- Relocation: Assistance provided for candidates applying outside of the province/state of the role.
- Total Compensation: May include bonuses and/or equity awards.
- Benefits: Full range of medical, financial, and other benefits.
Company Information
2K creates iconic video games including NBA 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization, XCOM, WWE 2K, TopSpin, and PGA TOUR 2K. Development studios include Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union, Cloud Chamber, Gearbox, HB Studios, and 2K SportsLab. 2K is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace.