About the role
Locations
- Los Angeles - Chatsworth, California, United States of America
- Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Employment Details
- Worker Type: Regular Employee
- Studio/Department: EA Studios - Respawn
- Work Model: Hybrid
Studio Overview
Respawn Entertainment was founded in 2010 with the philosophy that when talented people have creative freedom, they make extraordinary games that achieve the unexpected. Respawn is the Academy Award-winning studio behind Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Star Wars™ Jedi titles.
Role Overview
Respawn Entertainment is seeking a Senior VFX Artist to lead the creation of high-impact real-time effects for Apex Legends. This role reports to the Senior VFX Director and involves close collaboration with Art, Design, Animation, and Engineering to raise the visual quality bar. The position requires a passion for visceral, intense combat and an understanding of how VFX drive player intensity, readability, and emotional impact.
Responsibilities
- Create and implement high-quality real-time VFX for legend abilities, weapons, seasonal content, and gameplay moments, focusing on effects that feel visceral, impactful, and true to Apex combat.
- Define and maintain the visual quality bar for VFX across seasonal updates, weapon releases, character abilities, and gameplay moments.
- Lead VFX problem-solving for complex content, including visual polish, performance constraints, and technical issues across the content pipeline.
- Collaborate with Art, Design, Animation, and Engineering to develop effects that support gameplay, improve clarity, and strengthen the visual identity of Apex Legends.
- Provide feedback, mentorship, and craft guidance to other VFX artists to raise team quality and consistency.
- Contribute to visual direction and evolve the real-time VFX language for Apex, supporting production planning for effective scoping and delivery.
Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional experience as a real-time VFX artist in the games industry.
- Strong portfolio of shipped in-game real-time VFX; examples showcasing bombastic, gritty combat and VFX-driven player intensity are a strong plus.
- Proficiency with DCC tools such as Maya, Houdini, Photoshop, or Substance Designer.
- Experience implementing work within a game engine or proprietary toolset.
- Experience mentoring, reviewing work, or guiding other artists, with strong communication and collaboration skills across disciplines.
- Passion for making and playing games.
- Experience creating VFX for visceral, intense combat games is a plus.
- Experience with first-person games, sci-fi art direction, or live-service seasonal content is a plus.
- Shipped AAA game credit is a plus.
Compensation and Benefits
Pay offered will be determined based on relevant business and candidate factors, including education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, and business needs.
Pay Ranges
- British Columbia: $114,300 - $156,200 CAD
- California: $127,700 - $190,600 USD
Benefits - United States
- Paid time off: 3 weeks per year to start
- Sick time: 80 hours per year
- Paid company holidays: 16 days per year
- Parental leave: 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby
- Insurance: Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability
- 401(k) plan for regular full-time employees
- Eligibility for bonus and incentive programs may apply
Benefits - Canada
- Vacation: 3 weeks per year to start
- Sick time: 10 days per year
- Parental leave: Paid top-up to EI/QPIP benefits up to 100% of base salary (12 weeks for maternity, 4 weeks for parental/adoption leave)
- Insurance: Extended health, dental, vision, life, and disability
- Retirement plan for regular full-time employees
- Eligibility for bonus and incentive programs may apply
Company Culture and Values
Electronic Arts values adaptability, resilience, creativity, and curiosity. The company adopts a holistic approach to wellness, covering physical, emotional, financial, career, and community aspects. EA is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions without regard to race, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, religion, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, marital status, family status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. EA provides workplace accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as required by law.