About the role
d3t is at the forefront of videogame technology and creativity, delivering experienced co-development services to some of the biggest AAA clients in the world. The studio, part of the global Keywords Studios Group, works on multiple exciting projects at any one time, offering variety and involvement.
Studio projects include EA SPORTS FC™ 26, Hogwarts Legacy, Exoborne, Mafia: The Old Country, Alan Wake Remastered, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Vampire The Masquerade - Blood Hunt, Mafia II: Definitive Edition, and Assetto Corsa Competizione. Key partners include Playground Games, EA, and Archetype Entertainment.
The studio is based near Daresbury (Cheshire), Newcastle (Tyne & Wear), and Madrid (Spain), offering a professional and supportive working environment. d3t features an anti-crunch mentality, a mentoring ethos, and has been awarded Best Places to Work by gamesindustry.biz. The studio won Best Creative Service Provider at Develop 2022 and was nominated in 2023 and 2024.
Contract Details
- Role Type: 12-month fixed-term contract (with possible extension).
- Location: Hybrid working basis at either Daresbury or Newcastle.
- Working Pattern: 3 days per week in the studio (Wednesday, Thursday, and one day of choice).
Role Responsibilities
- Establish and maintain project art pipelines from inception throughout the project life-cycle.
- Support art and animation team requirements and assist with resolving technical issues.
- Create and integrate in-house toolsets and create materials/shaders.
- Ensure all artwork hits memory and frame rate guidelines/restrictions via performance profiling.
- Collaborate with artists, providing feedback on improving performance of in-game assets while maintaining visual fidelity.
- Take ownership of specific game features when required.
- Ensure all artwork adheres to guidelines regarding naming conventions and texture layering structures.
- Stay up to date with industry advancements and share knowledge with the art team.
- Expand the library of tutorials, documents, and technical guides to improve pipeline efficiency.
- Proactively identify and solve technical issues.
- Adhere to schedules and promptly feedback concerns regarding project aspects.
- Manage team deliverables by ensuring tasks are tackled in the right order, updating Jira, and communicating progress.
- Advise Technical Art Leadership of resourcing concerns and production risks.
- Encourage and mentor other members of the Technical Art Team.
- Demonstrate self-driven autonomy, taking responsibility for work quality and processes.
- Motivate Tech Artists and promote a culture of collaborative innovation.
Essential Skills
- Enjoy the technical challenge and constraints of real-time game art.
- Understanding of modern rendering, shading, and lighting techniques.
- Performance and quality focused.
- Excellent working knowledge and proficiency in Maya and/or 3DS Max.
- In-depth knowledge of Python.
- Excellent communication and organization skills; comfortable working within a multidisciplinary art team.
- Evidence of being an enthusiastic leader or role model in an intermediate art role.
- Ability to create materials/shaders and understanding of PBR workflow.
- Excellent understanding of technical limitations of current console hardware.
- Practical and methodical approach to technical and creative problem-solving.
- Dependability, commitment to projects, and hunger to learn and improve.
- Flexible, calm approach with the ability to adapt to change.
- Ability to deliver quality work within fixed time constraints.
- Strong knowledge of modern game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity.
- Excellent knowledge of current game development practices and terminology.
Desirable Skills
- Knowledge of other scripting languages.
- Knowledge of the Maya API and programming in C++ or C#.
- Understanding of various other tools used in development (Photoshop, Substance, Houdini, etc.).
- Experience in game development for at least 4 years.
- At least three published titles.
- At least two full project cycles in an Intermediate Art position.
Benefits and Perks
- 22 days holiday + 3 festive studio closure days + Bank Holidays.
- Company Pension Scheme.
- Flexible working hours.
- Private Medical Insurance Scheme (BUPA).
- Anti-crunch ethos in a professional, fun, and supportive environment.
- Free parking.
- Company socials, monthly lunches, and annual d3t events.
- Breakout areas with perks including games, BBQ area, and complimentary snacks.
Hiring Process
- First interviews held by video call.
- Second interviews held on-site.