As a Lighting Artist, you will focus on building and executing our lighting workflows to realize the product’s creative direction in-game. You will work with art direction, technical artists, and rendering engineers to collaborate in developing the right tools, shaders, technical budgets, and art assets to hit an ideal balance of fidelity and performance to delight our players. 

As a Lighting Artist Intern on League, you will work with artists, designers, and technical artists to help implement lighting that supports the intended look and gameplay readability. You will also assist with setting up and testing lighting scenarios and PBR materials in-engine, then document observations and share feedback with the team. Interns will contribute to assigned improvements to lighting examples, tools, or workflow documentation with guidance, build an understanding of how lighting choices affect visual quality and performance, and apply team standards to your work.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate directly with Art and Design disciplines to understand desired visual behaviors and translate them into specific visual outputs
• Translate that direction into in-game lighting adjustments, with support from your mentor and the team
• Share work-in-progress results, gather feedback, and iterate on assigned lighting tasks
• Check that the lighting communicates the intended visual behavior during gameplay

Required Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a college, university or non degree program
• Graduating in the 2028 calendar year
• Available to work full-time hours for the 12 week internship duration
• Real-time shading experience with GLSL, HLSL, or node-based material workflows
• Experience with content creation tools, such as Maya, Photoshop, and/or Substance 

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in game development using modern engines, such as Unity or Unreal
• Understanding of  3D math and linear algebra
• Experience creating and/or lighting 3D environments and characters
• Experience creating bespoke materials for environments, characters, VFX, or UI
• Exposure to shader performance fundamentals and engine profiling tools
• Exposure to digital asset repositories, such as Perforce

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role!

Work Authorization

• Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States for the duration of the program. 
• This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. We do not sponsor visas for this position or internship conversions. 

General Portfolio Advice:

• Please limit application submission to 1 role. You will automatically be considered for similar roles based on your portfolio 
• Online format is preferred (Artstation, personal websites, etc.)
• If you have private work that is under NDA, please include the password in your application. Otherwise, we recommend you do not password protect your portfolio
• Test that your Portfolio or reel is accessible. Please include access to your portfolio on your resume in addition to the application form in case the link breaks 
• Ensure your portfolio showcases your best work
• Fan Art? Sure! It shows your versatility as it relates directly to our art style
• Depending on the role, immersing yourself in the game to get the feel, tone and look can go a long way for your portfolio

Applications close Monday, January 4th, 2027 at 11:59pm PT 

Our Perks:

Riot Internships are paid, and interns can also participate in our 401(k) plan. You can expect in-game perks, and the ability to participate in our Play Fund, so you can broaden and deepen your knowledge of our players and community through games. The University Programs team also invites you to intern focused events so you can connect with your fellow interns and Rioters to make the most out of your experience.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.

(Remote Only) The hourly rate for this internship is USD $40.34 per hour.