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: Dublin
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
Your work is reviewed by professionals, focusing on how you worked, how you communicated with the people you built for, and the final deliverable. Some work is individual, 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.
Three Strategic Rotations (Six months each)
Rotations occur across various studios including Hangar 13, HB Studios, Visual Concepts, Firaxis, Small Axe, and Gearbox, as well as central technology teams. Team placement is decided based on game timelines, team needs, and your developing focus.
Candidate Requirements
What We Are Looking For
- Portfolio: An outstanding portfolio is the first requirement. It must show the work and your process. It does not have to be an art portfolio; tools, scripts, rigs, and shaders all count. If work was collaborative, identify your specific contributions.
Technical Skills
- Content Creation: Comfort in at least one content-creation package or game engine (e.g., Maya, Blender, Houdini, Substance, Unreal Engine).
- Scripting: Ability to read code and evidence of having written scripts.
Desirable Qualities
- Curiosity: A desire to understand how things are made and the initiative to investigate.
- Persistence: Ability to troubleshoot and resolve non-obvious, broken systems.
- Communication: Strong interpersonal skills for asking questions and collaborating.
Education and Experience
- Education: Degree in Game Art, Animation, VFX, Technical Art, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Unrelated degrees are accepted if the portfolio demonstrates required skills. A recent degree is essential.
- Experience: No games industry experience is required. Mod work, game jams, university projects, and freelance work are all relevant.
- Eligibility: Recent graduates from January 2025 to June 2027 are eligible. Exceptions are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Application Process
- Materials: Send a CV/resume and a portfolio (ArtStation, personal site, GitHub, itch.io, reel, or PDF). If work is spread across multiple platforms, provide links and specify where to start.
- Cover Letters: Optional, but encouraged if your resume does not explicitly show Tech Art experience.
- Stages: Five online stages:
- Application and portfolio review
- Online written assessment
- Recorded video answers
- Take-home task
- Final interview
- Relocation: Assistance is offered for candidates applying outside of the state/province of the location.
Company Information
2K creates iconic video game franchises including NBA 2K, BioShock, Borderlands, Mafia, Sid Meier’s Civilization, XCOM, WWE 2K, TopSpin, and PGA TOUR 2K.
Studios under the 2K portfolio 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.