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Role Description

As a Principal Character Artist at Eleventh Hour Games, you will be responsible for driving the vision, quality, and execution of character art that brings the world of Last Epoch to life. You will set the bar for character quality across heroes, enemies, NPCs, and gear-driven visual identity, while serving as a highly senior individual contributor and a key creative partner to Art Direction.

This role requires both exceptional artistic craft and deep technical character pipeline expertise. You’ll collaborate closely with concept, animation, design, and technical art to create characters that are visually compelling, production-ready, and tightly integrated with gameplay systems. The ideal candidate brings a high visual bar, advanced real-time character creation skills, and the technical depth to help shape scalable character workflows as the project grows.

Responsibilities

• Create high-quality real-time characters from blockout through final in-engine asset.
• Sculpt and refine characters, creatures, armor, outfits, and related assets with strong anatomy, form, and material definition.
• Set and maintain a high quality bar through hands-on execution and artistic guidance.
• Build clean topology, UVs, materials, and shaders that support rigging, deformation, readability, and runtime performance.
• Own and improve in-engine character workflows, including hair, customization, and modular gear systems.
• Partner with rigging, animation, design, and technical art to ensure characters support gameplay needs and read clearly in motion.
• Align character work with class fantasy, faction identity, world tone, and gameplay clarity in collaboration with Art Direction, Design, and Production.
• Help scale the character pipeline through workflow improvements, feedback, mentorship, and craft leadership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years creating character art for games in real-time engines.
• Portfolio demonstrating a high visual bar across anatomy, costume design, materials, and overall presentation.
• Deep understanding of real-time character pipelines, including implementation, optimization, and cross-discipline integration.
• Experience with character materials/shaders, hair workflows, customization systems, and modular outfits/gear.
• Proven ability to create game-ready characters from high-poly sculpt through final in-engine asset.
• Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as ZBrush, Maya/Blender/3ds Max, and Substance Painter.
• Strong understanding of anatomy, silhouette, form, material response, topology, and UVs for rigging/deformation.
• Strong grasp of gameplay readability and how characters support gameplay systems.
• Ability to work independently, collaborate cross-functionally, and help raise team quality through feedback and mentorship.

Preferences

• Experience creating characters for ARPGs, action games, or live-service pipelines.
• Experience with creature design and creature character pipelines.
• Strong concept sensibility or ability to contribute to character ideation and visual development.
• Experience working with outsourced character art partners.

Reasonable Accommodation

KRAFTON Americas is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, the Company will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodation is needed to apply for an open position, perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact the HR Talent team at KRAFTON Americas, to begin the interactive process.

EEOC Statement

KRAFTON Americas provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type.

Due to recent scams, our recruiters will only reach out to you via @eleventhhour.games, @sds.com, @krafton.com, @unknownworlds.com or @pubg.com. If you received an email and are unsure you can always email recruiting_ka@krafton.com.