Summary of the Art Director job at Prism Studio

Art Director

Heptic Arena  —  Full-Time  —  Remote (Europe)

About Prism Studio

Prism Studio is a Malta-based game development studio building unforgettable, player-first experiences with bold ideas and cutting-edge design. We're a small, cross-disciplined team, self-managing from wherever in the world we happen to be, united by a shared goal: making games we'd want to play ourselves. Heptic Arena, is a PvPvE multiplayer showdown shooter that is heading to Steam Early Access and the Epic Games Store, and it's built entirely in Unreal Engine.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced Art Director with a strong background in art content production to lead the artistic vision and visual communication of Heptic Arena. You'll own every aspect of art content development, from first concepts to release ready assets (characters, species design, arena environments, weapons, UI/UX, concept art, and all player facing visuals) Working closely with creative leadership and cross-functional teams to keep the game cohesive, visually striking, and true to Heptic Arena's world.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You'll set the artistic vision, direct a talented art team, and stay closely involved in production, from early concepts through to live content updates after release.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the art direction of Heptic Arena across environment art, character/species art, animation, modelling, rigging, texturing, shader development, concept art, 2D, and UI/UX, setting clear direction so every asset is consistent, high-quality, and true to the game's identity.
• Keep the species roster and world cohesive: maintain a consistent visual language across playable species (and future roster additions, skins, and cosmetics) as the game grows through Early Access and beyond.
• Partner with creative and Technical Leadership: collaborate closely with the Creative Director, Game Designers, Technical Leaders, and PO to keep gameplay, design, and art seamlessly integrated across a live PvPvE arena shooter.
• Build and maintain 3D art pipelines in Unreal Engine, solving technical challenges with cross-functional teams and optimizing workflows to support both quality and the pace of live-service content, new arenas, seasonal content, and post-launch drops.
• Track progress and keep the team aligned using tools such as Jira and Confluence, monitoring milestones and giving regular feedback so the Art team stays on schedule without compromising quality.Initiate, plan, execute and control art content development.

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Art, Design, or a closely related discipline. This academic foundation is expected to be complemented by substantial professional experience in a production environment.
• A minimum of seven years of professional experience within the gaming industry is required. Exposed to the full lifecycle of game development, from pre-production through to live operations.
• Must have hands-on experience delivering stylized games that rely on hand-painted textures. Skilled in  maintaining a distinctive and cohesive visual identity across a roster of characters and environments.
• At least one AA or AAA title must have been shipped under the candidate's direction or direct contribution. Must have knowledge and ability to see a large-scale production through to release.
• Have a strong portfolio spanning traditional art skills, 3D art, animation, UI, and concept art. The portfolio should reflect versatility across disciplines as well as a consistently high standard of craftsmanship.
• Excellent managerial and communication skills are required to lead and manage all of the art disciplines (2D, 3D, animation,...) within an agile production framework. The successful candidate will use tools such as Jira and Confluence to monitor milestones and provide regular feedback. Experience in Jira Advanced Roadmaps or Jira Plans will be considered a big plus.
• Demonstrated experience resolving technical challenges in collaboration with cross-functional teams is essential. Must be able to optimize production workflows and improve both efficiency and creative output, 
• Proficiency in Maya and Substance Painter is required for this role. 
• Excellent communication, leadership, and management skills are essential to this role. These qualities should be evidenced through hands-on production experience, ideally within a distributed or globally remote team.

Life at Prism Studio

We work as one unit with one common goal. Our purpose is to build a cross-disciplined team where everyone is self-managing, wherever they are in the world. We collaborate in an open, friendly way, as a global team built on talent and communication.