Senior Technical Artist​/VFX Artist

Senior Technical Artist (Unity) - Creative Vision & Real-Time Effects page is loaded

Senior Technical Artist (Unity) - Creative Vision & Real-Time Effects Apply locations Reno, NV time type Full time posted on Posted Yesterday job requisition  R318860

Gaming:

Welcome to the world of land-based gaming. At Light & Wonder, it’s all about the games, and our Gaming team builds cutting-edge technology, products, and content for the most iconic casinos and operators across the globe.

We’re seeking a Senior Technical Artist who thrives at the intersection of artistic vision and technical execution. If you’re passionate about bringing game designers’ ideas to life, crafting stunning in-engine effects, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in Unity, this role is for you.

You’ll be a key creative force, translating artistic direction into immersive real-time visuals using Unity’s powerful toolset. From shader magic to particle wizardry, you’ll help shape the visual identity of our games while ensuring performance and polish across platforms.

Key Responsibilities

Creative Vision & Visual Realization

· Collaborate closely with game designers and art directors to interpret and realize creative vision through technical artistry.

· Prototype and implement dynamic visual effects that enhance gameplay, mood, and storytelling.

· Act as a visual problem-solver, finding elegant technical solutions to artistic challenges.

In-Engine Effects & Visual Fidelity

· Design and implement real-time VFX using Unity’s Visual Effect Graph, Particle System, and Shader Graph.

· Create stylized and realistic effects such as explosions, weather, magic, UI flourishes, and environmental ambiance.

· Develop and optimize custom shaders for 2D and 3D assets, balancing beauty and performance.

3D Rigging & Animation Support

· Build and maintain rigs for 3D characters and props, including IK/FK systems, blend shapes, and physics-based rigs.

· Support integration of skeletal and sprite-based animations, including Spine and Unity’s animation systems.

· Collaborate with animators to ensure smooth transitions, expressive movement, and runtime performance.

Optimization & Performance

· Work with artists to provide optimized 2D assets and 3D assets for real-time performance.

· Work with engineers to profile and debug rendering, memory, and performance issues using tools like Unity Profiler, and GPU analyzers.

· Balance visual quality and performance, ensuring the best experience across various hardware specifications.

Collaboration & Technical Support

· Act as a technical bridge between art, design, and engineering teams to align creative vision with technical feasibility.

· Troubleshoot shader, lighting, and rendering issues in both 2D and 3D environments.

· Provide technical guidance to artists and designers on best practices for sprite management, UI rendering, and 3D asset optimization.

· Stay updated on new Unity features and industry trends to enhance team workflows and improve project efficiency.

This is an on site role based at our studio in Reno, Las Vegas. Team members are expected to be in the office to support collaboration and studio culture. Flexibility and will be moving to hybrid once we launch!

Required

· 5–7 years of experience as a Technical Artist with at least one shipped Unity title.

· Proven ability to translate creative vision into technical execution.

· Expert-level proficiency in Unity, including VFX Graph, Shader Graph, and custom tooling.

· Strong experience with shader development, particle systems, and real-time effects.

· Solid understanding of 3D rigging, animation systems, and character pipelines.

· Proficiency in C# for editor scripting and workflow automation.

· Familiarity with 2D/3D asset pipelines and DCC tools (e.g., Blender, Maya, Photoshop).

· Experience optimizing GPU, CPU, and memory performance for real-time applications.

Preferred Qualifications

· Experience developing for low-end or mobile devices.

· Background in casino or casual game development with shipped products.

Education

· A degree in Art, Animation, Game Development, Interactive Media, or a related field.

· Equivalent experience in lieu of…