Principal Environment Artist (Horror Games)

Location: Remote within the United States

Salary: $134,000–$170,000 annually for other U.S. locations; $158,000–$200,000 for Austin, Denver, Nashville, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami metropolitan areas; $182,000–$230,000 for San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and the DC metropolitan area.

Company

hirify.global is a startup multimedia studio known for the indie horror game Poppy Playtime.

What you will do

• Design and build realistic and semi-stylised atmospheric environments, including decayed rooms, derelict facilities, and unsettling domestic spaces.
• Own benchmark environments from blockout through final polish and establish visual, technical, and quality standards.
• Develop modular, trim-based, reusable, and performant environment workflows in Unreal Engine 5.
• Translate narrative and gameplay direction into immersive environments that support worldbuilding, mood, and player guidance.
• Collaborate with Level Design, Lighting, Materials, Technical Art, Narrative, and Design to solve complex environment challenges.
• Review environment art across project pods, mentor artists, and improve quality consistency, asset usage, composition, and production efficiency.

Requirements

• Exceptional portfolio demonstrating AAA-quality environment set dressing, modeling, and texturing for realistic or semi-stylised atmospheric spaces.
• Expert knowledge of composition, lighting, form, color, shape, value, visual hierarchy, modular construction, trim workflows, and reusable asset systems.
• Expert proficiency with Maya, 3ds Max, Blender, ZBrush, Marvelous Designer, Substance Designer, Substance Painter, and Photoshop.
• Extensive Unreal Engine 5 experience, including level building, materials, scene assembly, optimization, and environment pipeline decisions.
• Deep understanding of horror visual language and experience creating discomfort, suspense, and psychological tension.
• Experience shipping at least one AAA or equivalent high-quality title, mentoring artists, and influencing artistic and technical decisions across teams.

Nice to have

• 12+ years of gaming experience with progressive responsibilities.
• Several shipped games, preferably including horror titles.
• Experience developing procedural workflows, material systems, environment tools, or pipeline improvements with Technical Art.

Culture & Benefits

• Remote work for U.S.-based employees.
• Profit sharing.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) matching and FSA/HSA.
• Paid time off, sick time, holidays, and parental leave.