Distinctive is currently looking for a Character Artist to join our small team of highly talented developers in Sheffield, UK to work on our next generation sports titles for mobile devices and beyond.
Distinctive Games is an independent mobile games developer and publisher based in Sheffield. We've been making sports games since 2001, and our titles are enjoyed by millions of players worldwide.
Our latest games - including Rugby Nations 24 and Hockey All Stars 24 - are top-performing sports titles on the App Store and Google Play.
We're now working on the next generation of sports games, and we're looking for a talented 3D Character Artist to help take our players, athletes, and animation quality to the next level.
The Role
We're looking for a skilled and motivated character artist to join our close-knit art team and create high-quality, game-ready sports characters for our games.
You'll be involved in the full character pipeline - from early design and sculpting through to final in-engine assets - working closely with experienced artists, animators, and developers.
This is a hands-on role where your work will have real visibility and impact in a live, successful game studio.
What You'll be Doing
* Creating lifelike male and female sports characters for mobile games
* Modelling and sculpting detailed character meshes
* Retopologising high-res sculpts into efficient game-ready assets
* Building high-quality PBR textures and materials
* Rigging and skinning characters for animation
* Collaborating with the team to define style, personality, and visual identity
* Working with our in-house motion capture studio to bring characters to life
* Ensuring assets meet the performance requirements of mobile platforms
Essential Skills
* Strong character modelling skills in Maya
* Confident sculpting workflow in ZBrush
* Experience creating PBR textures/materials in Substance Painter
* Understanding of optimisation for mobile hardware
* Character rigging and skinning experience
* Great attention to detail and anatomy
* Ability to work from concept art and also contribute creatively
* A portfolio that demonstrates high-quality character work
* Self-motivation and the ability to work well in a small team
Additional Desirable Skills
* Experience implementing characters in Unity
* Familiarity with rigging tools such as Accurig
* Experience with sports or realistic character styles
* Knowledge of facial rigs, blendshapes and animation-ready topology
Why Join Distinctive
* A friendly, experienced team with a strong art culture.
* Real creative impact and ownership.
* Healthy work/life balance and a sustainable studio pace.
* Opportunity to grow and learn alongside senior developers and artists.
* Exciting new sports titles in development now.
Benefits
* Competitive salary (based on experience)
* Pension scheme
* Flexible working hours
* Sheffield City Centre location
* Casual dress
* Annual profit-based bonus
Distinctive is committed to equal opportunities and diversity. All applicants will be considered on merit, qualifications, competence and talent regardless of any protected characteristics.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Pay: £28,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
* Casual dress
* Company pension
* Sick pay
* Work from home
Ability to commute/relocate:
* Sheffield S1 2JA: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)
Work authorisation:
* United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person