Environment Artist - Hard Surface New

Playground Games is seeking a Hard-Surface Environment Artist to join their Environment Art Team in Leamington Spa, UK, for the Forza Horizon franchise. The role involves creating high-quality environment art, collaborating with internal and external stakeholders, and providing guidance on asset creation. Candidates should have strong skills in 3Ds Max or similar software, exceptional texture creation abilities, and a solid portfolio. Effective communication and teamwork are essential.
As a Hard-Surface Environment Artist, you will be working within the Playground Games Environment Art Team and with external partners to deliver the content required for creating the immersive environment of Forza Horizon. You will be responsible for creating, and guiding the creation of, consistently high-quality environment art and raising the bar for content in our game. You'll work closely with internal and external stakeholders, so communicating effectively is essential.,
• Work closely with Leads, Directors, and multi-disciplinary stakeholders to create, and guide the creation of, visually stunning environments that meet gameplay needs.
• Work with your team to author game ready Buildings and Props that will define artistic benchmarks, workflows, documentation, and final game content.
• Provide clear and concise instructions and feedback to external vendors on assets to ensure they meet the studio's quality standards, technical requirements, and artistic vision, guiding the vendors through any technical or artistic issues that arise during production.
• Refine assets in 3Ds Max, the Adobe Substance Suite and other DCC software when required, integrating them into engine so they are bug free.

Hard-surface modelling skills in 3Ds Max or equivalent software such as Maya or Blender. ZBrush experience desirable.
• Exceptional skills in creating your own photo-realistic textures in Adobe Substance 3D Painter.
• Adobe Substance 3D Designer experience is preferred.
• Strong understanding of the use of real-world reference.
• Outstanding prop creation skills and knowledge for a real-time game engine or real-time renderers.
• A portfolio demonstrating the creation of structural assets like buildings is desirable.
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills, both verbal and written.
• A passion for communicating the artistic and technical vision of the Forza Horizon franchise.
• An understanding and experience of optimising memory and performance for hard-surface assets within game engines is preferred.
• Knowledge of photogrammetry and colour correction workflows is preferred.
• Excellent teamwork and communication skills. Ability to manage tasks, meet deadlines, proactively address work-related issues, and a passion for learning and evolving as a professional.

As a premier first-party Xbox Game Studio, we are passionate about making genre-defining games that are accessible, beautiful, and most of all fun. We are looking to expand our diverse team as we continue driving forward our BAFTA award-winning Forza Horizon franchise., This is a fantastic opportunity to join an established, talented, and collaborative team at one of the industry's most exciting first-party game studios. Playground Games is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity and inclusion fuels creativity. We are dedicated to creating a safe, comfortable and welcoming working environment. We strive to build an inclusive culture that encourages, supports and celebrates the diverse voices of our team members. It drives our innovation and connects us closer to our players. We are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion across age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. At Playground Games we recognise the importance of self-development, career progression, well-being, and retention of our colleagues. We celebrate difference and welcome everyone to join us and to be themselves at work.