Insomniac Games is searching for a Lead Visual Effects Artist. The Lead VFX Artist is responsible for managing and developing a visual effects team. Has the knowledge and experience of creating art assets and sets an example for the team by demonstrating a mastery of industry standards and tools, proprietary technology, and departmental production workflows. Has a proven understanding of production schedules and project goals, along with game performance, and technical considerations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Balance hands-on VFX asset creation with day-to-day team leadership and management of the VFX team.

• Partner closely with Principal VFX Artist to plan, create and test content creation and pipelines before deploying to the development team

• Oversee and support external VFX partners, ensuring they are properly onboarded to style and technical standards and that their deliveries meet quality expectations.

• Collaborate with Production Management to scope and estimate work, build schedules, assign tasks and track progress for VFX deliverables.

• Works closely with Art Directors to develop visual targets, maintain a cohesive visual style and consistent quality bar across all aspects in VFX.

• Review VFX artists’ work to ensure VFX content is performant aesthetically and technically that is aligned with Art Direction.  

• Collaborate with multiple disciplines to support gameplay, characters, cinematics, environments with VFX requirements. 

• Coordinate with cross-disciplinary teams to ensure VFX assets are delivered on time and integrated smoothly into the game.

• Works closely with the Tool and Engine team to aid in the ongoing evolution and enhancements of proprietary tools and engine to improve and enhance VFX fidelity.

• Champion and implement new production methods, best practices, and optimizations to improve efficiency and in-game performance.

• Ensures that all complaints and concerns related to inappropriate or unprofessional conduct in the workplace are addressed immediately to foster a safe work environment.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of VFX artists, including consistent quality bar, goal‑setting and performance reviews.

• Other duties may apply
  
  

Supervisory Duties:

• This job has supervisory responsibilities

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws

• Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems

Computer Skills:

• Advanced level in Houdini and Maya: expert understanding of these DCC visual effects packages, competent working with joints and locators, animation/keyframing, rigid-body and fluid simulations, materials, shaders, lighting and rendering.

• 3d modeling and procedural modeling/UV’ing skills are a must.

• Strong knowledge and experience with modern game engines/editors such as Unreal, Unity, proprietary, etc.

• Proficient with real-time particle-editors and VFX systems such as Unreal’s Niagara, PopcornFX, etc.

• Advance understanding of complex node-based shader networks such as those used in Unreal, Unity, etc.

• Familiarity with game scripting and/or node-based systems (e.g. Unreal Blueprint, etc).

• Have strong grasp of technical scripting, programming and expressions pertaining to DCC and graphics: e.g. MEL, Python, Houdini VEX, HLSL Shaders, etc.

• Proficient in Photoshop for painting and editing textures.

• Strong knowledge of procedural texture generation software (e.g. Substance Designer, Filter-Forge, After-Effects, etc).

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.

• Knowledge of other visual effects or CG software a plus (e.g. Blender, Nuke, etc).

If this sounds like the opportunity that you have been looking for, please submit your application below.

Insomniac Games is looking for a Character Art External Development Manager. The Character Art External Development Manager is responsible for managing the full lifecycle of character art assets produced by external development vendors. This role serves as the primary point of contact between Insomniac Games' internal Character Art team and external partners, ensuring all outsourced work meets the studio's visual quality standards, adheres to art direction, and delivers on schedule. This is a production-facing role that requires both strong artistic judgment and rigorous project management capabilities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison between Insomniac Games and external development vendors, maintaining consistent communication across all active engagements.

• Author, review, and maintain detailed asset briefs for all ExDev character art work, including high-poly sculpts, low-poly/UV assets, and texture/material deliverables.

• Manage asset pipelines across milestone cycles, tracking bid estimates and delivery durations through Flow (ShotGrid).

• Coordinate handoffs between ExDev vendors and internal art teams, ensuring assets meet technical and visual requirements before engine integration.

• Collaborate with Project Directors to ensure budget remains on track for vendor work.

• Coordinate and facilitate Zoom meetings with vendor studios as required, including review sessions, kickoffs, and milestone check-ins.

• Proactively identify schedule risks and communicate them to stakeholders with mitigation plans.

Quality Assurance & Art Direction

• Evaluate all externally produced character art against established quality bars, style guides, and project art direction before approval.

• Work closely with the Lead Character Artist to define asset acceptance criteria and ensure feedback provided to vendors is aligned with the project's creative vision.

• Provide clear, actionable written feedback to external vendors, including annotated reference and redline documentation.

• Source and distribute benchmark assets and visual reference packages from internal teams, ensuring external vendors have the materials needed to hit quality targets.

Stakeholder Communication & Process

• Represent the ExDev pipeline in cross-department meetings with Production, Art Directors, and Mission Directors.

• Maintain ExDev status reports and capacity data for studio leadership visibility.

• Document and improve ExDev processes, including brief templates, review protocols, and vendor onboarding materials.

• Work effectively across significant time zone differences with overseas external development partners, managing communication windows to maintain production momentum.

• Other duties may be assigned.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in character art production within AAA game development, film, or equivalent industry.

• Demonstrated experience managing external development vendors, including writing asset briefs and conducting formal reviews.

• Shipped at least one AAA title with significant external development involvement preferred.

Technical Skills

• Strong working knowledge of the full character art pipeline: high-poly ZBrush sculpting, low-poly/UV creation in Maya, and texturing/materials in Substance Painter.

• Proficiency with PBR shading workflows and understanding of how materials are exported and set up in Unreal Engine or equivalent.

• Experience with Flow (formerly ShotGrid/Shotgun) for production tracking and asset management.

• Familiarity with source control via Perforce or equivalent.

• Understanding of rigging, animation, and design constraints that affect character asset creation.

Soft Skills & Competencies

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to convey complex artistic feedback clearly and diplomatically to non-native English speakers and remote teams.

• Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to manage multiple vendor relationships and asset streams simultaneously.

• High degree of autonomy and accountability; proactively identifies and resolves production issues without requiring close oversight.

• Collaborative and solutions-oriented mindset with a track record of building strong working relationships with external partners.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity, manage changing priorities, and advocate for realistic timelines with leadership.

VFX Artist - 12 Month CONTRACT

Insomniac Games is looking for a VFX Artist. In this role, the VFX Artist is responsible for creating VFX to work and assist in gameplay, environment, and cinematics of games.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Creates, designs, and implements real-time particle effects using both static and animating 2D/3D elements.

• Placing of visual FX across all areas of the game, including environmental and gameplay FX, and cinematics.

• Create FX textures (color, normal, specular, ambient occlusion, height, and incandescent maps.)

• Possesses at least an intermediate ability to navigate and use DCC software such as Maya, Houdini, or equivalent.

• Creates FX shaders with node-based shader networks.

• Creates simple geometry and UV sets.

• Possesses an intermediate foundation in computer graphics fundamentals and artistic analysis

• Optimizes FX for framerate and memory.

• Collaborates with other development departments to ensure that FX are implemented appropriately in the game engine.

• Understands and adds to the overall art style of game.

• Orchestrates FX events involving layering and timing of different FX to create a believable scene.

• Work with external partners, including the creation of outsourcing briefs, best practice documentation, and
  packages to send to external art vendors.

• Demonstrated professionalism in attendance, communication, reading comprehension, receiving feedback and working in a production setting.

• Other duties may be assigned

Experience and Education

Five plus years of professional experience or training, or an equivalent amount of education and experience.                     

Computer Skills:

• Proficient in Maya and Houdini, competent working with joints and locators, keyframing, rigid body simulations, and UV mapping.

• Proficient in Photoshop for painting and editing textures.

• Proficient with node- based shader networks. Knowledge of other visual effects software and game engines are a plus.

• Experience learning and using proprietary toolsets to create Real Time FX is a plus.

Other Skills:

• Good team skills, collaborative attitude, and good observation skills and ability to use reference materials.

• Ability to work independently.

• Proficient Animation and timing skills.

• Solid traditional arts background a plus.

Insomniac is looking for a new Manager, Gameplay Programming. In this role, the Manager, Gameplay Programming is responsible for directing and managing a team of programmers and Lead programmers to design and develop gameplay features and systems for a large component of a single game. You will be responsible for the quality of engineering, accuracy and timeliness of deliverables, and well-being of employees.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Provides coaching, performance evaluations, career development support and opportunities for team members.

• Collaborates with studio leadership to support studio cultural values and foster a positive work environment.

• Collaborates with project management to maintain a team schedule that meets project goals and deadlines while supporting a sustainable team workload.

• Plans, organizes, monitors, and evaluates team's work and ensures its positive impact on the player experience for a game.

• Works closely with Design and other departments to provide technical, scheduling, and creative feedback on game, develops project goals and communicates technical requirements and limitations.

• Structures and staffs team appropriately, including acting as hiring manager for and ensuring efficient onboarding of new employees.

• Maintains thorough understanding of team’s technical systems and provides guidance to team members.

• Contributes direct technical work, though never at the expense of non-technical responsibilities.

• Ensures that all complaints and concerns related to inappropriate or unprofessional conduct in the workplace are addressed immediately to foster a safe work environment.

• Other duties may be assigned

Supervisory Duties

• Directly supervises a team of Gameplay Leads and Gameplay programmers. Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; resolving problems together with Gameplay department leadership.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

Computer Skills

• Expertise in an application programming language (C++ preferred).

• Some familiarity with a scripting language such as Python or JavaScript.

• Ability to understand and adhere to the prevalent coding style and practice.

• Understanding of procedural and object-oriented programming paradigms.

• Adaptive coding style.

• Visual Studio experience required. JSON, and Maya experience a plus.

• Ability to use common workplace software like Microsoft Office products.