Lighting Artist (Contract, UE5)

Location: Remote-friendly contract, with priority for candidates local to Bellevue, Washington and open to occasional onsite collaboration.

Salary: $43.22–$61.28 per hour, with overtime pay when applicable.

Company

Developer and publisher of the Guild Wars online game series, serving more than 21 million players worldwide.

What you will do

• Light large-scale game environments in Unreal Engine 5 across full dynamic day/night cycles.
• Own assigned levels from initial blockout through final lighting polish.
• Create and integrate sky art, including clouds and celestial bodies, for believable time-of-day transitions.
• Develop atmospheric effects such as fog, haze, scattering, and clouds.
• Create materials and light functions in Unreal Engine to support environmental and lighting goals.
• Optimize lighting systems while maintaining visual quality and performance.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• 3+ years of professional real-time lighting experience, including hands-on Unreal Engine 5 experience.
• Portfolio demonstrating exceptional outdoor lighting for landscapes and natural environments.
• Strong understanding of exposure, composition, PBR, color theory, value relationships, and color grading.
• Experience creating skyboxes with 2D and 3D assets, including clouds and celestial bodies using tools such as Blender, Houdini, or Terragen.
• Ability to work remotely while being open to occasional onsite collaboration in Bellevue, Washington.

Nice to have

• Experience with painting, photography, or cinematography.

Culture & Benefits

• Contract role expected to last more than one year.
• Benefits eligibility through a third-party employer.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) and flexible/dependent care accounts.
• Collaboration with senior artists, art leads, and other disciplines.

Hiring process

• Applications are accepted until October 12 at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, unless the deadline is extended.
• The posting may be removed earlier if the role is filled.