Principal Technical VFX Artist

About Epic Games

Epic Games is a renowned interactive entertainment company with over three decades of experience creating award-winning games and engine technology. Our Unreal Engine enables developers to craft immersive, high-fidelity games across multiple platforms including PC, consoles, mobile devices, and VR. Additionally, the engine is highly valued in industries such as media, automotive, and architecture. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive workplace composed of exceptionally talented individuals who elevate the quality of both games and technology.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Principal FX Artist to join the Rocket League team, a well-recognized live-service game with an enthusiastic community. This position entails leading VFX system design, addressing complex technical challenges, and establishing high artistic and technical standards for effects used across gameplay, cosmetics, and arena environments. Candidates should thrive on creatively tackling constraints, possess a systems-oriented mindset, and relish transforming complex technical issues into polished real-time VFX.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and quality assurance of VFX systems, crafting scalable and reusable solutions that facilitate rapid iteration and sustainable production cycles.
• Create exceptional real-time visual effects spanning a diverse artistic spectrum, from realistic physical simulations to dynamic, stylized visuals.
• Collaborate closely with Technical Art and Programming teams to set performance budgets and ensure optimized visual fidelity.
• Develop prototypes and validate new workflows and methodologies for VFX creation.
• Define and uphold quality standards, establishing clear benchmarks for artistic excellence within the team.
• Provide mentorship and guidance across various artistic disciplines to uplift team skills and output quality.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Proven experience in real-time FX with a portfolio involving shipped game titles; professional credits outweigh academic projects.
• Advanced expertise using Unreal Engine's Niagara system and Material Editor for shader creation.
• Strong skills in shader programming, particularly using HLSL or Unreal's Material Editor.
• Programming or scripting capabilities such as Python, Blueprint, or similar, enabling technical VFX solutions beyond pure visual artistry.
• Excellent understanding of GPU performance metrics including draw calls, particle system optimization, and memory footprint management.
• Keen artistic sensibility for timing, mass, and motion informed by real-world physics.
• Experience in delivering multiple released games, with a preference for candidates who have contributed to live-service titles.
• Experience with Houdini is advantageous, especially for artists working from simulation data.

Benefits and Culture

Epic Games offers comprehensive benefits covering 100% of medical, dental, vision, critical illness, telemedicine, life, AD&D, long-term disability insurance, and short-term disability plans for employees and their dependents. We also provide a competitive retirement savings plan with employer matching, an employee assistance program, and access to mental health resources including free therapy and coaching.

Equal Opportunity Employment

We strongly endorse diversity and maintain an inclusive work environment. Epic Games is an Equal Opportunity employer who values applicants from all backgrounds.

Additional Information

Note: We do not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies without prior authorization and will not pay fees to unauthorized third-party recruiters.