Technical Artist Lead Job at Argus Labs in San Francisco

Argus Labs is building the next generation of massively multiplayer online (MMO) games by empowering players with the extensive freedom to build, extend, and influence the game worlds they inhabit. Our approach is centered around World Engine, our state-of-the-art onchain game server framework.

World Engine leverages a novel sharded rollup blockchain architecture, which allows games to use smart contracts for user-generated content (UGC) while scaling to tens of thousands of concurrent users without compromising performance. To date, World Engine is the most performant blockchain designed from the ground up for games and has been used in production for games like Dark Frontier, processing 700K+ player transactions within a week.

Backed by the best

We raised $10 million in seed funding led by Haun Ventures ($1.5B crypto fund led by former a16z GP, Katie Haun) with participation from influential angel investors in tech and gaming such as Elad Gil and Balaji Srinivasan (ex-Coinbase CTO).

Learn about who we are and our technology

• https://argus.gg

• https://world.dev

• https://twitter.com/ArgusLabs_

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and mentor technical artists, ensuring high-quality, high-performance deliverables.

• Collaborate with art and engineering teams to optimize workflows, game performance, and resolve technical challenges.

• Design tools to streamline artist workflows, enhance efficiency, and support multi-platform asset creation.

• Optimize assets to meet texture, polygon, and memory requirements for performance goals.

• Develop shaders and visual effects that balance visual quality with performance.

• Provide technical guidance on asset creation, rigging, and animation to support pipeline integrity.

• Prototype and troubleshoot visual features for new mechanics, integrating assets with engineering support.

• Research and implement new technologies to enhance the art and animation pipeline.

• Document tools, workflows, and processes for consistent project alignment.

Requirements:

• Proven experience as a Technical Artist in the gaming industry, with at least 3+ years in a lead or senior role.

• Proficiency in 3D art tools such as Maya, Blender, 3ds Max, and game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine.

• Strong knowledge of shader development, rendering pipelines, and performance optimization for multiple platforms.

• Experience with scripting/programming languages (e.g., Python, MEL, C#) to develop tools and automate workflows.

• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot and address technical challenges efficiently.

• Leadership skills with a proven track record of mentoring and guiding a team of technical artists.

Perks & benefits

For full-time employees

• A note for the game industry veterans: no crunch :-)

• Flexible PTO (2 weeks required) + holidays

• 100% employer-covered medical, dental, and vision insurance (US)

• 401k (US)

• Up to $1500 desk set-up stipend

• Company retreats

We’re an equal-opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status.