BLUE CASTLE GAMES (www.bluecastlegames.com) is a full-service, multi-project and multi-platform 3rd party developer located in Vancouver, Canada. The studio was formed in 2005, fulfilling the desire to start a company where creativity, experience and hard work come together to create outstanding games. We are currently a 130+ person studio with plans to expand to 150 in 2008. In its short tenure, Blue Castle has already developed and shipped The BIGS (published by 2K Sports in June 2007) on PS3, 360, PS2, PSP and Wii. We are well underway on three new projects - an unannounced Action title and two Sports titles.
Lead Character Artist Blue Castle Games – Burnaby, BC
It’s getting around – there is something amazing being built here at Blue Castle behind locked doors. We happen to have a key position open if you are an experienced Lead Character Artist with a proven track record of working on AAA open world/sandbox titles with a passion for Action games.
As the Lead Character Artist for our unannounced Action title, this is your opportunity to make a significant impact on one of the most exciting titles the industry has seen today. You will oversee our Character Art team of up to 10 people and are ultimately responsible for the delivery the 10+ lead characters and the remaining cast of over 100+ bleeding-edge characters. All of these characters will be featured in our game’s rich cinematic scenes, and will be a key part in delivering the ultimate gaming experience.
To accomplish this, you must have a proven track record of collaborating with Software Engineers to ensure that the greatest presentation of your team's work is rendered in the game. As the lead, you must maintain a high level of organization and teamwork to create believable and stylized characters utilizing various tools and our in-house developed, state-of-the-art game engine.
RESPONSIBILITIES: • Ability to create and own character pipelines from start to finish which includes streamlined asset creation and techniques • Oversees the work of a team of up to 10 x Character Artists on a daily basis, effectively communicating the art direction, as well as delivering constructive feedback to work in progress. • Makes a significant direct contribution to the creation and delivery of art assets • Collaborates daily with the Art Director to establish the aesthetic and technical standards for character art on the project • Resolves timeline and artistic discrepancies promptly and professionally with the Art Director and the Production team • Quickly disseminate and communicate pipeline issues and solutions, and technical guidelines for character art creation • Manages, mentors and coaches staff, including writing and delivering performance evaluations for all direct reports • Leads by example, demonstrates, communicates and exemplifies clear expectations for quality of work, productivity, communication and professionalism to the team • Personally maintains and communicates a strong knowledge of innovative game production technologies and the capabilities/limitations of these technologies as they relate to the project goals
REQUIREMENTS:
• 7+ years overall experience in the games or film industry of which 3+ are in a Senior or Lead capacity where you have led a team of up to 6 artists • You’ve shipped and been credited in a Lead capacity on a minimum of 2 x AAA non-sports titles preferably of the Action genre • A sound familiarity with Xbox 360 & PS3 capacities for modeling & techniques (both traditional and high to low modeling) • Advanced working and technical knowledge of Maya, Z-Brush 2/3 and Mudbox is a must • Ability to digitally sculpt/model & texture both High & Low polygon characters to a high level of quality • Advanced knowledge of 2D photo manipulation and painting software (i.e. Photoshop) • Strong knowledge & understanding of human anatomy, with an eye for accurate proportions, form, and details • A proven track record as a hands on leader which means you are a diplomatic and inspirational communicator who is open to feedback and constructive evaluation; possess seasoned listening skills; are a team player with a positive attitude and influence on others who has the drive and high motivation to be the best • The ability to communicate and interface daily with Software Engineers to communicate the projects visual concepts • Thorough understanding of the production and development cycle • Post secondary degree/diploma/certificate in 3D, animation, fine arts OR equivalent work experience or portfolio • The ability to interface with Software Engineers to develop and escalate ongoing feedback and debugging for improvements of process and tools using tools such as Python and MEL
We thank all applicants for applying, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
WORK/PORTFOLIO SAMPLES REQUIRED: Please ensure your sample work or portfolio includes the following - Character models (next-gen samples preferred), base character geometry wire frames, UV layouts, normal and specular maps, examples of your best work on shipped titles or personal work across any genre, 2D textures (digital painted textures or photo referenced), traditional art portfolio exhibiting strong skills in the following areas: character design, sculpting, figure drawing, painting demonstrating an understanding of human, form, proportion, color and scale (Online, CD or DVD format).
Online reels preferred however, CD or DVD formatted reels can be forwarded to: Blue Castle Games, Inc. P.O.Box 30592, RPO Brentwood, Burnaby, BC V5C 6J5
BLUE CASTLE GAMES (www.bluecastlegames.com) is a full-service, multi-project and multi-platform 3rd party developer located in Vancouver, Canada. The studio was formed in 2005, fulfilling the desire to start a company where creativity, experience and hard work come together to create outstanding games. We are currently a 130 plus-person studio with plans to expand to 150 by the end of 2008. In its short tenure, Blue Castle has already developed and shipped The BIGS (published by 2K Sports in June 2007) on the PS3, 360, PS2, PSP and Wii platforms. We are well underway on three new projects - an unannounced Action title and two Sports titles.
