Remote Animation Background Artist Jobs in Chicago, IL

Remote – US and Canada only

thatgamecompany designs and develops artistically crafted, broadly accessible video games that push the boundaries of interactive entertainment. We respect our players and want to contribute meaningful, enriching experiences that touch and inspire them.

We seek talent that values integrity and personal growth within an environment of intense collaboration and experimentation.

Our mission - create timeless entertainment that makes positive change to the human psyche worldwide. If you’ve been wanting to have a positive impact on people's lives and the creative challenges associated with doing something different and unique, then come help us shine brighter together.

Major Responsibilities

• Work with engineering and art teams to develop custom shaders from scratch
• Work across several art disciplines including shading, environment art, character art, animation and general art to support as the need arises.
• Profile and optimize shaders and VFX for optimal performance across a wide range of target platforms.
• Lead efforts in building foundational systems for art to establish scenes, animation, rigging, FX, and material tests.
• Coordinate with art, technical, and studio leads to help build and maintain a high-performance art pipeline from creation to final package delivery.
• Contribute to the unique product artistic vision holding high standards for aesthetics and technical art implementation.
• Optimizing art content for performance.

Additional Responsibilities

• Profile and optimize shaders and VFX for optimal performance across a wide range of target platforms.
• Working in our proprietary engine, help to establish our material and vfx pipelines.
• Document workflows and best practices for materials and vfx

Must-Haves

• A good understanding of shaders (HLSL and/or GLSL) and ideally able to handle supporting c++ code for those prototypes or tools if required
• Solid experience working with shader, materials and vfx in an industry standard or proprietary game engine
• Experience implementing visual effects in an industry standard or proprietary Game Engine from concept to completion
• Solid experience profiling and optimizing shaders and vfx on multiple platforms
• 3-5 or more years experience as a Technical Artist
• Must have 3 or more years experience with Maya and modern 3D art pipelines
• Proven experience building tools for modern art pipeline with a solid understanding of game engine scripting (ex. Unity, Unreal, Proprietary Engine)
• Portfolio demonstrating the technical artistic ability, with a focus on custom shaders and vfx
• Self-motivated and diligent, with established habits for tracking one’s own tasks and seeking out answers when needed

Nice to Haves

• Writing c++ code would be a plus
• Knowing Mel, Python, Lua, C++, is a plus
• Understanding of animation pipelines, including character and environment systems
• Strong communication skills and a positive and professional attitude
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of experience in Computer Science, 3D graphics, or related field
• Experience working with offsite art and programming teams

Perks:

• Paid Time Off, Holidays and Two Weeks Winter Break
• Employees and their dependents get medical, dental, and vision coverage, regardless of their level, tenure, or position within the company. Moreover, these benefits start on the first day of the job—there’s no waiting period before they kick in.
• Pet Insurance for those who need it too.
• Compassionate leave for employees who needs to take care of their family members
• Pre-tax wellness stipend
• Pre-tax work from home stipend
• Access our savings plan (401K program) with company match
• Mental health resources including Headspace membership and Employee Assistance Program (CCA)
• Discount portal for everyday goods and services
• Employee inclusive and diversity initiatives such as Grow Together
• Support for personal professional development