Senior 3D Character Artist

About WarForge Studio

Established in 2025, WarForge Studio is an innovative tech startup dedicated to developing cutting-edge gaming and digital experiences targeted at a global audience. The studio emphasizes the delivery of interactive entertainment that fuses competition, creativity, and technological innovation. Their flagship MMO project incorporates unique gameplay and proprietary tech tailored for progressive worldwide deployment beginning with the Middle East region. By blending local talent with international professionals and leveraging key partnerships in technology, payment systems, and esports, WarForge aims to be a trailblazer in the Middle Eastern gaming market and beyond.

Role Overview

We are in search of an experienced Senior 3D Character Artist who will take full responsibility for character creation from start to finish for our upcoming MMO title. This is a leadership role involving close collaboration with the Art Director to perform visual and technical research and development, set artistic and technical benchmarks, and lead the character art process independently — ranging from high-poly sculpting to final real-time material configuration.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage the entire character creation process encompassing R&D, high-poly sculpting, low-poly retopology, UV mapping, texture baking, texturing, and integration into the game engine.
• Create characters and creatures that clearly communicate their design within a top-down camera perspective while conforming to strict MMO performance constraints.
• Convert 2D conceptual art into a distinctive stylized-realism style that balances strong planar forms with high-detail, realistic material finishes.
• Establish and document the character art pipeline workflow from Digital Content Creation software to the game engine.
• Ensure topology is optimized and animation-friendly to support intricate movements and character armor rigging.
• Maintain consistent standards for naming conventions, export procedures, and folder organization.
• Set and uphold the visual quality standards for all character assets per project requirements.
• Identify potential technical or visual challenges in the character workflow and resolve them proactively and independently.

Candidate Profile

Essential Qualifications:

• Minimum 8 years of professional 3D character art experience in video games, including senior roles with ownership over the character art pipeline and completed shipping of at least one MMO or premium mobile game title.
• Advanced skills with ZBrush, 3Ds Max, Maya, or Blender, and the Substance 3D Suite.
• A strong portfolio showcasing a command of stylized-realism aesthetics.
• Ability to work autonomously, managing character assets from concept through final engine integration with little supervision.
• Professional maturity and experience working within structured studio pipelines, applying feedback cycles, and encouraging teamwork.

Preferred Skills:

• Extensive hands-on experience with engine integration, particularly Unity, Unreal, or proprietary engines, including custom shader development and material optimization.
• Experience in defining character art guidelines or overarching visual direction.
• Basic knowledge of rigging to ensure topology supports flawless character deformation during animation.

Important Notes

• This is not a junior or mid-level supporting position; we require a seasoned expert fully versed in character art pipelines ready to produce high-impact results immediately.
• The role involves leadership in pipeline development and elevation of visual quality instead of mere execution.
• This is a startup environment without fully established workflows, and the candidate will play a critical role in shaping these processes.

Portfolio Submission Guidelines

• Applications must include a reel or portfolio featuring final character renders integrated into game engines, beyond just high-poly ZBrush sculpts.
• Showcase wireframe turnarounds and UV/texture layouts demonstrating mastery of game-ready topology and optimization.
• Preference is given to stylized or stylized-realism artwork.
• Characters designed for top-down or isometric views are highly desirable.
• Applications lacking examples displaying game-ready topology and wireframes will not be considered.