Lighthouse Games
Senior VFX Artist
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Lighthouse Games
Lighthouse Games is a new AAA studio in Leamington Spa. We are defined by our pedigree of talent and serious ambition to build a new best-in-class game. When you join us at Lighthouse, you'll create the best work of your career within a collaborative, hybrid working environment. You'll learn from the best and work alongside the future greats of the gaming industry.
As a Senior VFX Artist, you will be at the forefront of enhancing our games' visual experiences through cutting-edge effects that captivate our players.
In this role, you will collaborate with various teams to conceptualise and implement high-calibre visual effects that align with our artistic goals. Your expertise will not only help shape the aesthetic of our projects but also serve as a guiding light for our junior artists, helping them grow and thrive in their roles.
Key Responsibilities:
- Work alongside the Lead VFX Artist and interdisciplinary teams to design and deliver photorealistic VFX grounded in real-world reference, elevating both gameplay and immersion
- Create high-fidelity effects representing natural phenomena — including rain, smoke, fire, dust, and atmospheric systems — with a strong focus on believability, physical behaviour, and material response
- Develop and optimise VFX assets using industry-standard tools, ensuring a balance between visual authenticity and real-time performance
- Study and apply real-world reference, motion, and physics to inform the behaviour, timing, and interaction of effects in-game
- Contribute to the refinement of VFX workflows and pipelines, improving both quality benchmarks and production efficiency
- Mentor junior artists, helping them transition from stylised approaches toward physically grounded, photoreal execution where required
- Collaborate closely with Technical Artists and Engineers to ensure seamless, performant integration of effects within the game world
- Participate in creative reviews, consistently pushing toward a best-in-class, photoreal visual standard across all VFX
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Requirements
- Proven experience creating photorealistic VFX for games, supported by a portfolio that demonstrates strong real-world grounding (e.g. smoke, fire, weather systems, destruction, environmental effects)
- Deep understanding of natural phenomena and physical behaviour — how elements such as fluid, gas, heat, and particulate systems behave and interact
- Strong eye for reference-driven detail, with the ability to translate real-world observation into convincing in-game effects
- Proficiency with tools such as Houdini and Maya for simulation and content creation
- Experience implementing and optimising VFX in Unreal Engine (Niagara) or similar real-time engines
- Solid understanding of performance constraints and how to achieve high visual fidelity within them
- Ability to work collaboratively across disciplines, with clear communication around both artistic intent and technical constraints
- Passion for mentoring and raising the overall quality bar within a team
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Preferred Qualifications:
- Familiarity with Unreal Engine, particularly the Niagara VFX system
- Experience with Houdini and EmberGen for advanced visual effects
- Knowledge of shader programming (HLSL or visual scripting for UE4/5) for creating custom effects
Benefits
- 25 Days Holiday, plus 1 day for your birthday
- Studio Shutdown between Christmas and New Year
- Discretionary Bonus Scheme
- Private Pension Scheme
- Private Healthcare
- Health and Well-Being Benefits
- Dental Care
- Optical treatments
- Mental Health Support
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