Principal/Lead Lighting Artist - Azra Games

Azra Games is expanding to Austin, Texas, bringing our passion for creating immersive and unforgettable RPG experiences to a new creative hub. Led by veteran game designer Mark Otero—the visionary behind Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, EA's most successful mobile game with over $1.5 billion in lifetime revenue—Azra Games is building a top-tier team in Austin. If you're eager to help shape the future of role-playing games, we'd love to hear from you.

Who we are looking for:

We are seeking a strong Principal Lighting artist to help drive our game's style, mood, and tone. The candidate must have a strong knowledge of lighting principles and techniques and knowledge of building lighting for mobile games. A foundation as an environment artist and familiarity with environment techniques are a plus.

What you will be doing:

• Work closely with the Art Director and Environment team to define exterior and interior lighting for environments and cut scenes.
• Optimizes lighting data for memory and frame.
• Work within constraints set by the technology and target platforms.
• Work with engineers to develop new tools to improve lighting.
• Work with Art Production Manager and Technical Art Lead to solidify pipelines and establish best practices.
• Involved in look-development around key surfaces and shaders to ensure lighting delivers against visual reference
• Post-processing: color grading, exposure, SSAO, bloom, tone mapping curves etc.
• Prototyping the use of lighting technology to reach the visual targets defined by the art direction.
• Profile existing and future levels to maximize lighting quality on characters and environments while staying within performance budgets.
• Works with level artists to ensure integration with gameplay

How you benefit:

• Be a part of a strong and resourceful team that works well together.
• Help guide the look and style of the game.
• Have a sense of autonomy in deciding how to achieve the game's goals.
• Start on the ground floor of an exciting new project.

The skills you need:

• Sound knowledge and use of lighting techniques for video games.
• Strong interpersonal skills and communication skills.
• Deep understanding of CG lighting technology, both real-time and software rendering.
• Strong sense of lighting theory, color space, exposure, light fixtures, natural light, reflections, etc.
• Skilled at balancing visual quality against performance requirements.
• Experience with generating light-maps, pre-lighting, or baked lighting

Additional skills that would make you shine:

• Environment world-building experience
• Unity Experience

The perks of working at Azra:

• Competitive salary
• Platinum healthcare plan for you and your family paid for by Azra Games. Including health, vision, and dental!
• Parental leave
• Unlimited paid time off
• Work that fits your lifestyle – Work from our studio office in Austin,TX, and/or hybrid, and anything in between
• Occasional catered lunches and dinners
• Office social events including happy hours and parties
• A generous technology budget to provide the best gear you need to be your most productive and happy self
• An authentic office environment where you get to be YOU

Azra Games is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Azra Games is an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome and employee differences are celebrated.