PortaPlay is expanding the team and we need YOUR help!


The Role

We are looking for a hands-on Art Director to join our studio in central Copenhagen and lead a small and skilled art team of 3 persons + freelancers and outsourcers. The ideal candidate will bring a mix of aesthetic sense, craftsmanship, communication and planning skills. We are looking for an experienced person, who can inspire and be inspired by others to develop projects with style, sensitivity, and quality.

The Games

We always have several things cooking in our kitchen. You’ll be joining work on our upcoming game Gerda: A Flame in Winter, as well as on 2 in-development titles, where you’ll be central to defining the artistic vision.

The Studio

PortaPlay is your friendly neighbourhood developer, combining storytelling with non-casual gameplay. We primarily develop premium games grounded in reality but with a fantastic twist. We are artistically ambitious, and make bold games that go beyond entertainment to say something about our world. We work mostly on our own IP but have some work-for-hire on the side. The company has an ongoing partnership with the French developer/publisher DontNod (Life is Strange, Tell Me Why, Vampyr, etc).

Our work culture is focussed, sociable and friendly. We value open discussion and respectful feedback, sharing ideas and opinions, taking initiative and thinking ahead. We encourage every person in our team to have their own creative autonomy, where work with directors and other stakeholders is an open conversation around shared goals.

PortaPlay is an English-speaking team of around 15 people with a semi-flat structure (art, tech, and design departments, each with a single lead). We are an equal opportunities employer and encourage people of any and every background to apply.

Life at PortPlay

Our studio is located at the very heart of Copenhagen, in a lovely neighbourhood and extremely accessible by public transport and by bike from anywhere in the city. We work 9 to 5, five days a week, with flexible hours; we value a relaxed workstyle and healthy work-life balance, and strive to minimise stress and overtime. We do not work nights or weekends – your private time is precious. Vacation days are according to the Danish standard, and the entire company goes on a summer hiatus in July.

We are studio-first workplace, but we allow ourselves to work from home every now and then, if someone needs a quiet day to focus on a big task, or if the plumber is coming 🙂 We provide lunch every workday and we eat together at noon. We’re not a “fampany” that will take over your free time, but we do have casual friday-beers (and non-alcoholic alternatives!) together, and celebrate a few traditions together, like a summer BBQ, or a christmas lunch.

Objectives of this Role

  • Define the vision of each project, together with the other leads
  • Conceptualise the visual identity, style and mood for upcoming games
  • Work hands-on to ensure the realisation of the vision, through pipeline setup and asset creation
  • Oversee the art department (task assignments, scheduling, and mentoring staff)
  • Establish and maintain art department standards and processes, and ensure that the team adheres to these
  • Collaborate with the other leads throughout the production to ensure high-quality deliveries and creative synergy

Task Examples:

  • Develop internal and external creative briefs, visual concepts, schedules, and expected deliverables for the creative team
  • Develop production assets and implement them in the game
  • Work inside the game editor to ensure the overall visual quality of the games
  • Review deliveries from team members and give feedback.
  • Coordinate deliveries with the Project Manager and the Game Director

Expected Key Skills:

  • Artistic Vision
  • Leading Creative Processes
  • 2D Art (Digital)
  • 3D Modelling and Texturing
  • Unity Game Engine (asset importing, set dressing, lighting, post-effects etc.)

Bonus – Experience with any of the following is a plus:

  • Previous work on digital games
  • Drawing/painting skills
  • UI Graphics and Motion Graphics
  • 2D vector graphics and skeleton based animation
  • 3D animation, rigging and skinning
  • Shaders

The pipeline, organisation and office

We are working in Unity, using Blender/Maya. We work in self-organised teams in a flat hierarchy structure. Work is mainly on-site from our office in the centre of CPH. Crunch is something we actively strive to avoid, and rely instead on proper planning, individual responsibility, empowerment and prioritise team-members with opinions and solutions.

Practical info

  • The position is full time, salary and terms depend on qualifications
  • The position can begin from May/June and is permanent
  • Office located in the centre of CPH


The application

Deadline: 29 april 2021

Please apply with a portfolio and C.V. with links to projects that can be showcased (playable/video/stills) – preferably including samples of source files, for technical review (e.g. layered 2D art and 3D models).

Send questions and your application to hansvonknut@portaplay.dk

Apply