Lighting Artist [Contract] at Retro Studios
Company: Retro Studios
Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Job Type: Contract (Onsite)
Salary: Not Disclosed
About Retro Studios
Retro Studios, founded in 1998, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nintendo Co., Ltd. and a leading developer of award-winning video games. Working closely with Nintendo, the studio develops high-quality titles for the company’s advanced gaming platforms, combining innovation, artistry, and gameplay excellence.
Based in Austin, Texas, Retro Studios benefits from the city’s vibrant creative culture, live music scene, and natural beauty. The location offers an inspiring environment where talented developers collaborate to build world-class gaming experiences.
Job Overview
Retro Studios is seeking a talented Lighting Artist (Contract) to craft immersive lighting for game levels and cinematics. This role focuses on creating atmosphere, mood, and visual storytelling through lighting that supports both artistic direction and gameplay requirements.
The ideal candidate has strong expertise in real-time lighting workflows, color composition, and physically based rendering while collaborating closely with level artists and designers.
Key Responsibilities
- Create lighting for game levels and cinematics that aligns with the game’s artistic direction.
- Establish strong color palettes, value structures, and visual compositions through lighting.
- Adjust post-processing effects such as exposure, color grading, fog, bloom, and related settings.
- Collaborate with level art and design teams to ensure lighting supports gameplay and visual goals.
- Maintain visual continuity and optimal performance across the game environment.
- Provide clear and timely feedback to external partners regarding level lighting.
- Support production teams to ensure high visual quality across all lighting implementations.
Required Qualifications
- Exceptional eye for color, value, and composition as expressed through lighting.
- Experience lighting levels in video games and adapting lighting to gameplay requirements.
- Strong understanding of Physically Based Rendering (PBR) and material-light interaction.
- Knowledge of real-world lighting values, exposure, and their impact on imagery.
- Experience using modern real-time lighting engines such as Unreal Engine, Unity, or Frostbite.
- Ability to follow concept art or references while working across different visual styles.
- Self-motivated problem solver with strong organizational and time management skills.
- Interest in studying light through photography or painting is a plus.
- Experience with industry-standard rendering tools such as Arnold, Renderman, V-Ray, Octane, or Mitsuba is a plus.
Benefits
- Paid weekly compensation.
- Healthcare benefits available.
- Paid time off.
- Paid holidays observed.
- Access to Nintendo employee discounts.
- Opportunity to work on world-class Nintendo game projects.