Senior VFX Artist - Contract

Position Summary:

As the Senior VFX Artist, you'll deliver a wide range of top-quality effects that enrich the player experience while respecting technical constraints and artistic direction. You’ll work together with a team to improve and shepherd a VFX pipeline while optimizing VFX content for game clarity, ease-of-production, and performance.

The ideal candidate will have experience creating real-time visual effects to be used in gameplay, environments, and cutscenes, as well as implementing those assets in the game.  You'll work closely with the extended art team to ensure all VFX work fits cohesively with the overall art direction for the game.

Note: This is a 6-month full-time contract position.

About Us:

Our mission is to craft retro-infused JRPGs that awaken cherished childhood memories. We’re growing the studio by assembling a dream team of talent from across the globe. Join us on this epic quest to make fun, narrative-rich games in an inclusive, supportive, and fun studio environment!

You’ll be working on Threads of Time, a 2.5D JRPG inspired by Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, where you get to travel from the prehistoric era to the end of time!

• Become part of a veteran team that includes legendary developers who led iconic titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles, Legend of Mana, and more
• Competitive salary
• 4 weeks annually of paid vacation (1 week of which is taken in late December)
• Benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, and an Employee & Family Assistance program
• Collaborative environment with opportunities to contribute to the game’s creative design and take ownership of features
• Opportunities to help you strengthen your skills or learn something new
• A workplace that appreciates and values diversity and inclusivity

Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of creating and implementing visual effects work for combat game mechanics, various environments, and cutscene sequences
• Concept and design, create, implement, and maintain real-time VFX assets, including texture, materials, and shaders, flipbooks, emitters, and particle systems
• Implement optimization techniques to ensure the game is memory and performance-efficient
• Organize broad VFX goals into actionable tasks, explore reasonable options, and independently collaborate with other departments to formulate a plan of action
• Create pre-visualization concepts to drive visual direction and pipeline
• Balance quality with efficiency when working under tight deadlines

Requirements:

• 3-5+ years working as a VFX artist in the video game industry
• A well-rounded portfolio of high-quality real-time VFX work demonstrating expertise in stylized effects
• Strong technical knowledge and artistic abilities working with real-time VFX in Unreal Engine
• Strong understanding of 2D animation principles
• Fundamental understanding of Unreal's Niagara Systems
• Ability to create source art needed for VFX (textures/materials/shaders, flipbooks, emitters)
• Strong sense of form, color, timing, and composition
• Great communicator with strong interpersonal skills

Pluses:

• Resident of Ontario or Quebec, Canada
• A love of JRPGs

Salary: $70,000 - $100,000 CAD

Please note that although this is a remote position, applicants must currently reside in either Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia.

Maybe you think that your experience is not where it should be? Or you don’t meet every requirement listed in this job description? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t think they meet every qualification. But we feel that creating meaningful work means embracing different perspectives, which is why at Riyo Games, we are focused on building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive studio. If your experience is not perfectly aligned with every requirement in this job description, but you’re interested in this position, we encourage you to apply anyway. We simply want to know what makes you special!

Riyo Games welcomes and encourages applications from candidates with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in the selection process. If you require disability-related accommodation during the recruitment process, please email contact@riyogames.com. We will consult with all applicants who request disability-related accommodation during the recruitment process to ensure that the accommodation provided takes into account the applicant's individual accessibility needs.

Riyo Games uses tools to sort applications based on geographical criteria only. We do not use AI to screen, assess, or select applicants.

Thank you, we look forward to hearing from you!