The entertainment and games industry is growing and so is Namco Networks!  We are looking for exceptionally talented people to join our team.  Work with evolving and challenging technologies across many best-selling game titles in a fast-paced, creative and fun environment.  Join Namco Networks and play a vital role in this rapidly growing company and industry! For more information about our company, please visit: www.namcogames.com.

BACKGROUND ARTIST -  PC GAMES

The Background Artist is a versatile and multi-skilled 2D Games Artist responsible for supporting our game development and production teams. This position requires advanced illustration skills producing 2D art assets. This is an intermediate-level position that will be expected to mentor and monitor junior-level artists.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

·        Capable of producing traditionally-rendered concepts for backgrounds, menu systems, icons, characters and animations

·        Able to produce backgrounds, characters, icons and objects for implementation in game production with 2D and 3D tools provided when needed

·        Collaborate closely with a team of artists and designers

·        Work efficiently in creating large quantities of high quality art assets

·        Take responsibility for the workflow of projects

·        Work within boundaries to creatively solve art issues when necessary

·        Provide mentorship and guidance to the junior team members

·        Anticipate the needs of the art team in order to streamline productivity

·        Work within the limits dictated by programming staff or project leads when necessary

·        Participate in the critique of your own work and the work of others

·        Perform optimization of artwork for production

·        Work closely with senior-level team members and/or Art Director to formulate all creative aspects of the art development pipeline and watches over it during the course of production.

Required Skills

·        3+ years game development experience

·        4+ years experience in computer generated 2D art using Adobe CS (including CS3) and possess expert skills in Photoshop AND Illustrator

·        Demonstrated ability of quickly pick up new software and adapting it to the asset development pipeline

·        Strong traditional illustration skills as well as solid understanding of drawing principles such as perspective, and proportion, in addition to logic usage and accurate implementation of color, lights and shadows

·        Experience producing 2D assets using 3DS Max/Maya

·        3D asset production in the areas of modeling, tiling and texture mapping

·        Able to adapt to a variety of illustration and animation art styles

·        Strong sense of graphic design applicable to user interface

·        Great sense of color usage

·        Experience in leading artists

·        Ability to work with little or no guidance in order to problem-solve art-related issues

·        Capable of working in a team environment

·        Organized approach to tasks, files and storage of materials

·        Console experience (PS2 or higher) preferable but not essential

·        Knowledge of optimization for game development ideal.

·        Production experience is a must!

Bonus Skills:

·        BA or BFA in Illustration, Graphic Design or related field

·        2D Animation Experience

·        Motion graphics experience using After Effects

·        Graphic design experience

·        Good working knowledge of Flash

·        Knowledge of ActionScripting

·        Marketing and brand identity design experience, including logo design, highly desirable

·        Experience in 3D animation, lighting, rendering, rigging, and/or dynamics (particle systems) a huge plus

·        Ability to produce fine-detailed 3D art preferable but not required

Portfolio Requirements:  Digital media preferred.  Your application must be accompanied by web link to an online portfolio/demo reel.

Artistic Portfolio (any or all of the following):

·        Examples of 2D graphics from background art, character design, 2D animation, concept art or visual effects

·        Examples of 3D graphics from models, animation, visual effects, texture mapping or environment design

·        Examples of User Interface design and/or implementation of typographical treatment

·        Paintings or sketches, created either using traditional or digitally methods

Art Leadership Portfolio:  Submit descriptions of projects where you led in a senior position and specify your role in each example submitted, along with how many people you managed (if applicable).

Professional Attributes:

·        Must be responsible and accountable; enjoys collaborating and follows through on multiple complex projects.

·        Good communicator who possesses strong written and oral communication skills.

·        Enthusiastic and outgoing, excited about working at Namco Networks and possesses a positive attitude about the potential of this company.

·        Supportive, within the division as well as cross-functionally, with a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude towards getting things done.

·        Able to listen to and accept constructive criticism.

·        Well-organized and detail-oriented.

·        Demonstrates excellent analytical skills.

·        Thinks “out of the box” with ability to come up with creative solutions.

·        Strong team player.

***Please include desired salary range in cover letter***

Established January 1, 2006, Namco Networks America Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc., a worldwide leader in the high-tech entertainment industry. Namco uses cutting-edge technology to provide fun, quality entertainment to mobile consumers throughout the Americas.

The entertainment and games industry is growing and so is Namco Networks!  We are looking for exceptionally talented people to join our team.  Work with evolving and challenging technologies across many best-selling game titles in a fast-paced, creative and fun environment.  Join Namco Networks and play a vital role in this rapidly growing company and industry! For more information about our company, please visit: www.namcogames.com.

3D ARTIST -  PC GAMES

The 3D Artist is a versatile and multi-skilled artist responsible for supporting our game development and production teams. This position requires solid knowledge and hands-on experience in 3D modeling and animation producing 3D art assets applicable to video game platforms. The artist working in this role is a strategic thinker, a problem-solver, and is detail-oriented.  This is an intermediate-level position that will be expected to delegate, mentor and monitor junior-level 3D artists.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

·        Produce 3D assets for implementation in game development

·        Collaborate closely with a team of artists and designers

·        Work efficiently in creating large quantities of high-quality art assets

·        Take responsibility for the workflow of projects

·        Work within boundaries to creatively solve art issues when necessary

·        Provide mentorship and guidance to junior team members

·        Anticipate the needs of team artists in order to streamline productivity

·        Work within limits dictated by programming staff or project leads when necessary

·        Participate in the critique of your own work and the work of others

·        Perform optimization of artwork for production

·        Work closely with the Art Director to formulate all creative aspects of the art development pipeline and watch over it during the course of production

Required Skills

·        3+ years game development experience

·        4+ years experience in computer-generated 2D art using Adobe CS programs (including CS3) and have a working knowledge of Photoshop AND Illustrator

·        Be able to quickly pick up new software and adapt it to the asset development pipeline

·        Strong hands-on production experience producing high and low-poly 3D-generated assets using 3DS Max/Maya

·        3D asset production in the areas of modeling, rigging, and animation

·        Experience in leading/mentoring junior artists

·        Ability to work with little or no guidance in order to problem-solve art-related issues

·        Must be able to create tiles and texture maps

·        Capable of working in a team environment

·        Console experience (PS2 or higher) preferable

·        Ability to produce fine-detailed 3D art

·        Knowledge of optimization for game development ideal

·        Production experience is a must!

Bonus Skills:

·        BA, BFA or Degree in 3D Graphics, Animation or related field

·        3D tool scripting language knowledge MEL for Maya

·        Graphic design experience

·        Motion graphics experience using After Effects

·        Experience in 3D lighting, rendering and/or dynamics (particle systems) a big plus

Portfolio Requirements:  Digital media preferred.  Your application must be accompanied by web link to an online portfolio/demo reel).

Artistic Portfolio (any or all of the following):

·        Examples of 2D graphics from background art, character design, 2D animation, concept art or visual effects

·        Examples of 3D graphics from models, animation, visual effects, texture mapping or environmental design

·        Examples of user interface design and/or implementation of typographical treatment

·        Paintings or sketches, created either using traditional or digital methods

Art Leadership Portfolio:  Submit descriptions of projects in which you led in a senior position and specify your role in each example submitted, along with how many people you managed (if applicable).

Professional Attributes:

·        Must be responsible and accountable; enjoys collaboration and follows through on multiple complex projects.

·        Good communicator who possesses strong written and oral communication skills.

·        Enthusiastic and outgoing, excited about working at Namco Networks and possesses a positive attitude about the potential of this company.

·        Supportive, within the division as well as cross-functionally, with a roll-up-your-sleeves attitude towards getting things done.

·        Able to listen to and accept constructive criticism.

·        Well-organized and detail-oriented.

·        Demonstrates excellent analytical skills.

·        Thinks “out of the box” with ability to come up with creative solutions.

·        Strong team player.

***Please include desired salary range in cover letter***

Established January 1, 2006, Namco Networks America Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc., a worldwide leader in the high-tech entertainment industry. Namco uses cutting-edge technology to provide fun, quality entertainment to mobile consumers throughout the Americas.

The entertainment and games industry is growing and so is Namco Networks!  We are looking for exceptionally talented people to join our team.  Work with evolving and challenging technologies across many best-selling game titles in a fast-paced, creative and fun environment.  Join Namco Networks and play a vital role in this rapidly growing company and industry! For more information about our company, please visit: www.namcogames.com.

Mobile Game Designer

Namco Networks America is looking for experienced game designers with the desire to create games for the ever-expanding mobile market. The Mobile Game Designer is responsible for generating a detailed, comprehensive Game Design Documents, which are the roadmap for the entire development team. An important part of the role is then communicating that vision clearly and concisely to the rest of the team.  A strong technical or art background is highly desired. Designers are a key member of the Production team and are expected to proactively create, manage and coordinate the implementation of game designs with a primary focus on product quality.

Responsibilities:

• Communicating the game design and vision to the team and company.
• Designing and documenting the creative vision of mobile games, from high concept to complete GDD.
• Delivering unique, innovative and engaging designs while dealing with technical and other possible limitations.
• Communicating with artists, programmers and other members of the design team.
• Galvanize team members around the design's core features and build excitement about the game throughout production.
• Develop and implement positive changes to the game based on feedback from QA, consumer insights, senior staff members, and others. 
• Responsible for the organization of design, programming and production documents.
• Remaining current on industry trends, game design techniques.
• Creating mock-ups of gameplay mechanics, menus and user interface.
• Balancing and adjusting game-play experiences, features and mechanics.
• Delivering unique, innovative and engaging designs while dealing with technical limitations.
• Giving and accepting critique in a constructive manner.
• Collaborate on game balancing and overall game experience.
• Responsible for developing the highest quality, most imaginative and fun casual titles!

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 3 years of professional experience as a mobile game designer.
• Credited as a Designer on 2 or more titles.
• Disciplined , Self-managed and self-motivated with a strong work ethic
• Strong organizational skills, superior communication skills and excellent writing skills are a must.
• Ability to multitask and be flexible about changing role requirements.
• Ability to think creatively and analytically.
• Creative problem solving ability.
• The ability to document ideas, concepts, and technical design in a format that is easy for all team members to understand.
• A thorough understanding of major elements of game design including story, dialog, interface, character interaction, mission /environment design, look and feel, AI, combat, strategy, game-flow, balance and difficulty.
• The ability to productively discuss ideas, decisions, and communicate ideas in a wide variety of aesthetic areas.
• An in-depth understanding of how gameplay works and how to create fun, meaningful experiences for the player.
• Able to both conceptualize and implement game ideas using various tools and technology.
• Able to craft a fun game experience based on an established game mechanic.
• Willing and able to design within technical and other constraints.
• Passion for interactive computer/video/mobile games.

Bonus

• BA/BS degree in related field or equivalent training preferred.
• Programming or Scripting language experience.
• Familiarity with C++ and JAVA a plus.
• Knowledge of wireless devices.
• Testing/QA experience a plus.
• Prototyping skills a plus.

Professional Attributes

• Enthusiastic, outgoing, excited about working at Namco Networks and possesses a positive attitude about the potential of this company.
• Must be responsible, accountable, and proactive.
• Must be a flexible and strong team player who enjoys managing multiple projects.
• Possesses a friendly and professional manner.
• Able to listen to and implement constructive criticism.
• Supportive, not only with primary responsibilities described above, but also cross-functionally supportive with a “roll-up-your-sleeves” attitude towards getting things done.  Does not “pass the buck,” even if it is not within your job description.
• Thinks “out of the box” with ability to come up with creative solutions.

Established January 1, 2006, Namco Networks America Inc. is a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings (USA) Inc., a worldwide leader in the high-tech entertainment industry. Namco uses cutting-edge technology to provide fun, quality entertainment to mobile consumers throughout the Americas.