Summary
Absurd Ventures is seeking an Art Director to lead the artistic vision of our new, highly original AAA game universe. This role is central to realizing the existing visual identity of the project in-game, and ensuring that every artistic discipline — environment, character, VFX, lighting, and more — works together to deliver a cohesive, striking, and emotionally resonant experience.

You’ll collaborate closely with creative leadership to translate concept, narrative and design goals into a compelling visual direction, guiding artists across multiple disciplines to bring that direction to life. This is a hands-on, deeply practical leadership role for someone who thrives on building worlds, shaping teams, and pushing visual boundaries through to the game’s release.

Core Responsibilities

• Define and drive the artistic vision for the game, establishing the visual style, mood, and tone in close partnership with the World Director, Design Director, and key stakeholders.
• Translate vision into clear, actionable art direction by communicating aesthetic standards, techniques, and technical requirements across the team.
• Lead the art team through the full production lifecycle, from pre-production through release, maintaining clarity of vision, focus on priorities, and strong team engagement at every phase.
• Review art assets at every stage, from early concepts through final in-engine implementation, providing specific, constructive feedback to maintain quality and creative consistency.
• Oversee the full scope of visual development, including concept art, character designs, environments, props, and VFX, ensuring all work meets the highest quality bar and stays true to the game's creative intent.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire both internal and external art teams, building a collaborative environment that supports creativity, innovation, and professional growth.
• Collaborate with production to develop staffing plans, workflows, pipelines, and schedules, scaling the team appropriately across development phases to stay resourced and on track.
• Partner with design, narrative, and engineering to ensure art direction reinforces gameplay, storytelling, and technical constraints throughout development.
• Work with technical artists and engineers to ensure efficient asset integration, balancing artistic ambition with performance requirements and production realities.
• Represent the art vision in cross-disciplinary discussions, contributing to decisions that shape the broader direction of the project.
• Manage external outsourcing relationships, maintaining quality, meeting deadlines, and staying within budget.
• Monitor industry trends and emerging technologies, identifying relevant innovations and incorporating them into the development process where appropriate.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of leadership experience as an Art Director or Senior Art Director in the gaming industry, with at least one shipped AAA title.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating exceptional artistic skill and creative vision, with a focus on game-related work.
• Deep expertise in at least one major art discipline (environment, character, VFX, or lighting) with strong working knowledge across all.
• Solid understanding of game development pipelines, including concept art, character design, 3D modeling, texturing, lighting, and visual effects.
• Proven ability to translate creative concepts into compelling, cohesive in-game art direction.
• Strong grasp of modern game engines, real-time rendering, and art pipelines.
• Excellent leadership skills with the ability to inspire, motivate, and hold a team accountable, including experience scaling and structuring teams during active production.
• Clear, confident communicator who can articulate artistic goals to both artists and non-artists alike.
• Highly organized and adaptable, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced production environment, take initiative, and build strong working relationships at all levels.
• A passion for pushing creative boundaries, exploring new aesthetics, and building worlds that leave a lasting impression.
• Genuine passion for video games and a deep understanding of the gaming industry.
• Exercises complete discretion and confidentiality on all business matters.

Bonus

• Experience developing new IP from the ground up.
• Unreal Engine game development experience strongly desired.
• Familiarity with realistic and/or experimental art directions.
• Comfort working in highly collaborative, creative and narrative driven
• Experience with outsourcing management and vendor relationships.

Description

• Full time job with benefits
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeways

The base pay range for this position is $185,000 - $225,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

Summary

We are seeking a talented and experienced Principal/Lead VFX artist (real-time UE5) to spearhead the creation of stunning visual effects for our ambitious open-world project. As a pivotal member of the development team, you will collaborate closely with art, design, and engineering to deliver awe-inspiring effects that bring our expansive world to life. This role offers the unique opportunity to shape the visual identity of a project in its early stages of development.

Core Responsibilities

• Create and implement real-time high-quality visual effects for an open-world environment, including environmental effects, character abilities, destruction systems, and cinematic sequences.
• Responsible for all the VFX elements produced for the project.
• Define the VFX pipeline and establish best practices to optimize workflows and ensure efficient asset creation and integration.
• Work closely with the Art Director to establish the visual style to determine the technical requirements of the project.
• Responsible for making creative and aesthetic choices for the visual effects.
• Crafting and designing the addition of flair and visual drama, while effectively developing tone and pacing for game and cinematic events at a AAA Level.
• Lead VFX pre-production activities, including concept development, reviews, and previs (previsualization) planning to establish the AAA visual goal.  
• Collaborate with our Technical Material Artist to create the VFX master materials for the project at a AAA quality bar.
• The ability to troubleshoot and solve technical challenges related to VFX integration, performance, and memory optimization.
• Mentor and guide junior VFX artists, fostering their growth. 
• Stay updated on the latest trends and techniques in real-time visual effects and integrate them into the development process.
• Work closely with Production to estimate, plan, and track VFX tasks for scheduled milestones.
• Spearhead VFX R&D efforts, identifying the resources and technology needed to achieve desired effects within project constraints. Collaborate with Engineering and Tech Art to build the needed toolsets to accomplish the project's needs with the required tools.

Core Qualifications

• Strong portfolio showcasing a range of real-time VFX work.
• 5-8 years of proven experience as a VFX artist.
• Shipped a AAA title as a VFX artist. 
• Experience with Unreal Engine 5, and traditional and modern development practices. 
• Strong understanding of particle systems, shaders, lighting, and real-time rendering pipelines.
• Demonstrated ability to balance real-time quality with optimized technical performance. 
• Collaborate with other departments (design, lighting, environment, cinematics and others), providing guidance with elements for integration within game, cinematics and marketing.
• Critical eye for the timing, animation, and motion of real-world phenomenon and visual FX.
• Ability to bring physically based lighting to effects while conveying a story.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to overcoming development challenges.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively across disciplines.
• Strong understanding of PBR lighting concepts and physics-based effects.
• Experience with third party packages and workflows. (Houdini, 3dsMax, Maya, Embergen). 
• Passion for creating immersive and visually compelling game worlds.

Plus if...

• Experience with dynamic weather systems, large-scale destruction effects, or other advanced VFX systems in open-world games.
• Familiarity with scripting languages or visual scripting tools for VFX implementation.

Description

• Full-time job with benefits.
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway.

The base pay range for this position is $150,000 to $180,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.

Absurd Ventures is looking for a UI Artist with expert knowledge of Photoshop and Illustrator. This position requires an excellent design eye to keep our style on point and in line with the rest of our UI. The designs we create need to be extendable, easy to refine and perform well in engine. The ideal candidate has an eye for clean, powerful designs and knows their way around an engineer’s blueprint.  

Core Responsibilities:  

• Add to and refine the UI art style with the UI lead and Art Director.  

• Comprehend the UI pipeline and potentially help find ways to refine it.  

• Create high quality shippable UI assets within reasonable deadlines.  

• Maintain a working knowledge of usability while designing assets.  

• Emulate different styles and workflows to suit the needs of the project.  

• Collaborate with the UI Lead to gather feedback and make changes to the UI as needed.  

• Contribute to setting and maintaining the UI quality bar at the studio.  

Core Qualifications:  

• 4+ years working experience in game development, building UI in Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and designing in UX tool sets like Figma. 

• Knowledge of current UI trends across the industry.  

• Knowledge of building UI for scalable layouts.  

• Ability to offer various thoughtful design solutions when given UX problems.  

• Passion for making and playing video games.  

• Good time management skills and excels at working within deadlines.  

• Excellent communication skills.  

• Thrives in a creative and collaborative team environment.  

Plus if: 

• Experienced with AAA Open World game production UI.  

• Unreal Blueprint knowledge. 

• Unreal material creation knowledge. 

• 3D toolset Knowledge. 

• After Effects Knowledge. 

 Description  

• Full-time job with benefits.  

• Role is on-site in San Rafael, CA.  

The base pay range for this position is $110,000 - $125,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

Summary 

We are seeking a Principal / Lead Gameplay Designer to own the design and implementation of compelling 3 C’s gameplay. This person will work closely with design leadership, animators, engineers, and artists to deliver world-class moment-to-moment gameplay and player feel. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Own and drive implementation of all moment-to-moment player-feel gameplay in alignment with direction from a senior leadership team. 
• Develop engaging combat mechanics, including player abilities, enemy behaviors, AI tactics, weapons, and camera systems. 
• Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to prototype, iterate, and polish combat features from concept through ship. 
• Author and maintain design documentation, ensuring clarity and alignment across departments. 
• Analyze playtest data and player feedback to continuously refine and balance combat systems. 
• Own combat encounters and pacing in collaboration with level and narrative design teams. 
• Establish metrics and best practices for environment and encounter design to support optimal gameplay. 
• Mentor junior designers and contribute to the evolution of team processes and best practices. 
• Maintain high standards for quality, responsiveness, and fun across all combat elements. 

Core Qualifications 

• 5+ years of experience in game design with at least 2 shipped titles, including one in a senior or lead role focused on combat. 
• Deep understanding of player mechanics, animation-driven gameplay, enemy design, and AI behavior. 
• High technical proficiency with Unreal Engine 5.0 and its suite of combat, AI, and animation systems tools. 
• Strong prototyping skills with scripting languages or visual scripting systems (e.g., Blueprint, Lua, etc.). 
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and documentation skills. 
• Passion for creating satisfying, intuitive, and deep combat systems across various player archetypes. 

Plus If... 

• Experience designing melee combat systems, ranged combat, or hybrid mechanics. 
• Background working on open-world or sandbox games. 
• Experience planning player skill and progression systems. 
• Knowledge of cinematic combat presentation and camera work. 
• Experience working with motion capture and/or animation pipelines. 

Description 

• Full-time job with benefits. 
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA. 
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway. 

The base pay range for this position is $145,000 to $165,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

The pay range for this position is $25-$30 per hour. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.  

Summary  

As Campaign Design Lead, you will be the primary vision holder and a hands-on contributor for story missions and single-player campaigns. Lead a multi-disciplinary team to deliver critical path and side missions that combine best-in-class storytelling and action gameplay in an open world setting.  

Responsibilities  

• Drive the design and implementation of engaging, diverse, innovative missions within a story-driven, open-world game.  
• Work closely with the narrative team to develop the flow of main story missions.  
• Develop and execute the mission design vision and strategy, ensuring that missions align with the game's overall narrative, thematic, and player experience goals.  
• Continuously seek opportunities to innovate and push the boundaries of mission design.  
• Leverage the game's open-world systems and mechanics to create dynamic and unpredictable mission experiences that adapt to player choices and actions.  
• Lead and mentor a team of mission designers, providing direction, feedback and support throughout the development process.  
• Go beyond documentation and management to lead from the trenches, with hands-on contributions to the playable experience.  
• Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation and iteration.  

Qualifications  

• 5 or more years of experience in mission design, ideally within an open-world game.  
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.  
• Innovative thinker with creative problem-solving skills who thrives in a collaborative team environment.  
• Strong understanding of storytelling and narrative design.  
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams is a plus.  
• Experience in UE4 or UE5 is a plus.  
• Experience working with co-development partners is a plus.  

Description   

• Full time job with benefits   
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA  
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeways  

The base pay range for this position is $125,000 to $165,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including paid time off, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.  

Summary:  

We are seeking a Principal Rendering Engineer to drive the technical excellence of our rendering systems. Join our world-class team developing a cutting-edge open-world video game that pushes the boundaries of visual fidelity and gameplay immersion.   

Core Responsibilities:  

• Be responsible for optimizing and improving rendering infrastructure systems, including texture streaming, virtual texturing, GPU, and shader compilation.  

• Collaborate with technical artists to establish a performant kit of materials and techniques to meet visual requirements.  

• Develop scalable graphics solutions to maximize visual fidelity across a range of targets, from current-gen consoles to cutting-edge PCs and emerging hardware.  

• Drive the development of tools associated with rendering features, ensuring they are user-friendly and meet the needs of our artists.   

• Optimize our skin cache for GPU performance and memory to support rendering many characters on screen.  

• Stay up-to-date on current techniques, research, graphics data, and hardware advancements to inform the development of forward-thinking rendering systems.  

• Define and enforce technical specifications for asset and scene construction in collaboration with the art and design teams.  

• Author new shaders and effects to enhance visual quality.  

Core Qualifications:  

• Strong proficiency in C++ and multi-threaded programming techniques.  

• In-depth real-time rendering experience in the games industry or related computer graphics fields.  

• Expertise in GPU architecture and performance characteristics, with extensive use of GPU profiling tools (e.g., PIX, Razor).   

• Experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5.  

• Thorough knowledge and practical application of 3D math, rendering algorithms, and data structures.  

• Deep knowledge of at least one graphics API (e.g., DirectX 11/12, OpenGL, Vulkan, Metal).  

• Demonstrated skills in performance and memory optimization across various platforms.  

• Experience shipping AAA video games.  

• A proven track record of creating clean, efficient, and well-tested code.  

Plus If...  

• Experience with emerging rendering technologies, such as ray tracing or machine-learning-based graphics solutions.  

• Contributions to published research or participation in industry conferences related to computer graphics.  

• Familiarity with mGPU solutions and cutting-edge PC hardware optimization techniques.  

Description   

• Full-time job with benefits.   

• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.   

The base pay range for this position is $170,000 to $230,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) match to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

Summary 

We are looking for a versatile and highly motivated Principal Engineer to join our Unreal, Mission Tools team.  In this role, you will build systems and tools within Unreal 5 that will be used to create story and open world missions or quests. You will enable designers and scripters to create rich, engaging content, and create the tools to manage many hours' worth of player experience. The systems you develop will be used by designers, engineers, and QA, and interface with disciplines across the studio. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Work with technical directors, producers, designers, and other customers to gather requirements for new tools and systems. 
• Design and implement systems, with an emphasis on robustness, developer efficiency, and developer experience. 
• Document, maintain, and support the systems and tools you build. 
• Collaborate with other pods (combat, AI, cinematics, etc.) on interfaces, system designs, and implementation. 
• Collaborate with other team members and Absurd’s co-dev partners on code reviews and knowledge sharing. 

Core Qualifications 

• 3+ years of experience in Unreal development. 
• Worked on at least one AAA title in a senior or lead engineering role. 
• Expertise in C++ and strong knowledge of modern software engineering practices. 
• Strong generalist, with the desire and ability to learn multiple game systems and tools. 
• Ability to work collaboratively across departments and lead cross-functional, cross-team initiatives. 
• Ability to evaluate the technical and project impact of a feature or change. 
• Ability to understand users’ requirements, and great UX instincts for creating tools that team members love to use. 
• Strong customer focus and ability to troubleshoot issues quickly. 
• Superb verbal and written communication skills. 

Plus If… 

• Experience working on tools within Unreal, maintaining them through a full production cycle. 
• Experience with Unreal's WorldPartition, K2Nodes, serialization, and UI systems. 
• Experience with IMGUI and LogicDriverPro is a big plus. 
• Experience working on an open-world project.   

Description 

• Full-time job with benefits. 
• Role is on-site in San Rafael, CA 
• Office is located near downtown San Rafael – near transit stations and freeways.    

The base pay range for this position is $185,000 to $200,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Engineer, Game AI to join our dynamic team. As the Lead AI Engineer, you will be responsible for overseeing the design, development, and optimization of game artificial intelligence systems- from NPC behavior and navigation to combat tactics and ambient life. You will guide a team of engineers in close collaboration with design, animation, and gameplay teams to deliver intelligent, immersive, and believable game experiences and characters.  

Core Responsibilities  

• Oversee the development and implementation of character control AI systems, including pathfinding, state trees, decision-making systems, sensory perception, group coordination models, design control interface, and large scale NPC behavior models in an open world environment.  
• Collaborate closely with game designers and content creators to define the needs and constraints for AI systems.  
• Architect and maintain scalable, reusable AI code systems that support a wide range of NPC behaviors (combat and noncombat), traversal mechanics, and game scenarios.  
• Create and maintain thorough documentation for AI systems and architecture.  
• Guide and mentor a team of AI engineers; provide code reviews, technical feedback, and career development support.  
• Ensure performance and memory efficiency across multiple platforms, using profiling tools and optimization techniques.  
• Work with QA and production to identify, debug, and resolve AI-related issues throughout development.  
• Stay current on AI trends in game development and other industries to bring innovative ideas and techniques to the project.  

Core Qualifications  

• 7+ years of professional experience in game development, with significant focus on AI programming.  
• Shipped at least one console title in a senior or lead AI engineering role.  
• Expertise in C++ and strong knowledge of modern software engineering practices.  
• Deep understanding of AI techniques including state machines, behavior trees, utility systems, navigation, and spatial reasoning.  
• Strong debugging, profiling, and optimization skills.  
• Experience leading technical teams and managing cross-disciplinary collaboration.  
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.  

Plus If...  

• Experience developing AI systems in Unreal Engine (UE4 or UE5), including familiarity with EQS, Blackboard, and Behavior Trees.  
• Experience with Open World games 
• Background in machine learning, procedural content generation, or large-scale crowd simulations.  
• Familiarity with scripting languages such as Python or Lua.  
• Passion for systemic design and emergent gameplay.  
• Interest in creating AI that supports narrative, ambient, and sandbox-driven game worlds.  

Description  

• Full-time job with benefits.  
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA.  
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeways.  

The base pay range for this position is $170,000 to $210,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity. 

Summary 

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Lead Character Artist to join our dynamic team. As Lead Character Artist, you will be responsible for creating and overseeing the production of high-quality character assets. You will have a direct impact on the visual identity of our games, bringing characters to life with stunning detail and artistic excellence. 

Core Responsibilities 

• Lead the character art team in the creation of high-quality character models. 
• Collaborate with the Art Director to define the visual style of characters. 
• Sculpt, model, and texture characters to meet the artistic and technical requirements of the project. 
• Contribute in planning, organization and prioritization of tasks with Production for internal, OS, and co dev partners. 
• Create and maintain character pipeline documentation for training and onboarding 
• Proactively identify risks in character art production timelines and effectively communicate risks to Production and Directors. 
• Mentor and provide feedback to other character artists. 
• Ensure character assets are optimized for performance and memory usage. 
• Work closely with rigging, animation, and technical art teams to ensure characters are ready for implementation. 
• Stay current with industry trends and techniques in character art. 

Core Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Game Art, or related field. 
• 7+ years of experience in character art within the video game industry. 
• Strong proficiency in Maya, ZBrush, and Substance Painter. 
• Significant experience in Unreal Engine 
• Excellent understanding of anatomy, form, and silhouette. 
• Experience with PBR and hand-painted texturing workflows. 
• Proven track record of creating high-quality character models for AAA titles. 
• Ability to lead a team and work collaboratively across departments. 

Plus if... 

• Experience with character rigging and skinning. 
• Knowledge of Marvelous Designer or similar tools for clothing simulation. 
• Experience with rigid body dynamics and cloth simulation in Unreal Engine 
• Previous work in a leadership role on a major game title. 

Description 

• Full-time job with benefits. 
• Role is on-site in Santa Monica, CA. 
• Office is located near downtown Santa Monica – near metro and freeway. 

The base pay range for this position is $150,000 to $185,000 per year. Actual compensation is based on market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. We also offer a competitive package of benefits including vacation time, sick time, company holidays, parental leave, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) matching to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.