Principal Concept Artist, Character - Unpublished R&D Product

Riot Games was established in 2006 by entrepreneurial gamers who believe that player-focused game development can result in great games. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to critical and player acclaim. As the most played video game in the world, over 100 million play every month. Players form the foundation of our community and it’s for them that we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.

We’re looking for humble but ambitious, razor-sharp professionals who can teach us a thing or two. We promise to return the favor. Like us, you take play seriously; you’re passionate about games. We embrace those who see things differently, aren’t afraid to experiment, and who have a healthy disregard for constraints.

That's where you come in.

We’re looking for a character concept artist who can define visual direction, elevate the quality bar, and help shape the long-term creative identity of a game.

As a Principal Concept Artist, Character, you will join Riot’s unannounced R&D project, Griffin, based in Guangzhou. In this role, you will do far more than create high-quality character concepts. You will help establish the project’s character design vision from the source, build scalable design principles, and collaborate deeply with art, narrative, animation, 3D, technical art, and product partners to ensure the work is creatively ambitious, stylistically cohesive, commercially distinctive, and production-ready.

You will use strong creative judgment, mature design methodology, and cross-functional influence to help the project build a character language that can scale over time. You will play a decisive role in key character development, major creative pivots, and quality-defining moments across production.

Responsibilities

1. Define character vision and create at a principal level

• Lead the concept design and visual definition of key in-game characters, including champions, core NPCs, creatures, and bosses, from early exploration through final approved design
• Establish and continuously evolve the project’s character visual language, including shape logic, proportion systems, silhouette identity, material expression, cultural signals, and stylistic boundaries
• Generate high-quality exploratory directions in ambiguous or early-stage development, helping the team identify sustainable and compelling paths for long-term content creation
• Deliver character concepts with strong recognizability, extension potential, and commercial appeal that raise the competitive strength of the project’s character roster

2. Build systems, frameworks, and design methodology

• Develop core character design frameworks that translate worldbuilding, narrative context, faction identity, class or gameplay function, and player fantasy into clear design principles
• Define and maintain character design standards, including proportion rules, form language, detail density, costume hierarchy, readability goals, and style consistency expectations
• Move the discipline from individual execution to systems-level thinking so character design quality can scale across content cycles, character types, and internal or external partners
• Drive the creation of reusable design frameworks, reference libraries, and review criteria that improve team efficiency and decision quality

3. Partner cross-functionally to drive execution and outcomes

• Collaborate closely with character art, art direction, animation, VFX, technical art, narrative, and design partners to ensure concepts are both aspirational and feasible in production
• Provide clear, actionable design handoff packages, including structural breakdowns, material logic, visual priorities, functionality notes, and implementation guidance
• Lead alignment on complex design problems, balancing creative ambition with production cost, development timelines, platform constraints, and gameplay needs
• Stay engaged through the full lifecycle of a character, from concept to in-engine implementation, and remain accountable for final visual quality and player-facing results

4. Set quality standards and influence creative decisions

• Serve as a key owner of character design quality within the project, helping guide overall artistic direction and proactively identifying risks or opportunities for course correction
• Set a higher quality bar for character design by evaluating work across player appeal, gameplay readability, visual storytelling, production viability, and franchise potential
• Respond quickly to direction changes, scope shifts, or production limitations by proposing strong alternative solutions without compromising overall quality
• Review and provide feedback on critical character work and milestone content to ensure results meet the project’s creative goals

5. Extend influence through mentorship and discipline leadership

• Mentor mid-level and senior concept artists through feedback, critique, and design coaching that strengthens team-wide craft and judgment
• Guide external partners or outsourcing teams when needed, setting clear expectations for quality, direction, and revision standards
• Expand team capability through critiques, case studies, design reviews, and standards development that improve the maturity of the character art discipline
• Contribute to discipline-building efforts by helping shape clearer expectations for talent, craft excellence, and collaboration models

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of relevant experience in the game industry, with a sustained track record of delivering high-quality character concept work
• Deep experience across at least two full game projects or major production phases, with strong ownership and the ability to solve complex creative problems
• Exceptional fundamentals in anatomy, perspective, composition, color, material rendering, and shape design
• A mature character design methodology and the ability to independently drive the full process from exploration and option development through polished final design and implementation support
• Proven ability to define style, not just execute within it, and to balance project goals with creative exploration at a high level
• Strong understanding of 3D production workflows, animation needs, game development pipelines, and cross-functional collaboration, with a clear production-minded design approach
• Proficiency in Photoshop and relevant 2D and 3D support tools such as Blender
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to clearly articulate design intent, influence stakeholders, and drive alignment
• Strong taste, self-direction, and collaborative mindset, with the ability to maintain a high quality bar in fast-changing environments

Desired Qualifications

• Experience creating highly distinctive character IP or contributing to commercially successful titles
• Background in MOBA, MMO, action, or other character-driven game genres with large-scale content demands
• Strong 3D capability, including blockout or lightweight modeling used to support concept validation
• Experience with global aesthetics and cross-cultural character design sensibilities
• Prior experience mentoring others, leading initiatives, or managing external partners
• Deep understanding of character narrative, worldbuilding, and visual storytelling
• Experience helping define visual direction and foundational systems for a new project from 0 to 1

Portfolio Expectations

• Please include 3 to 5 representative character design samples that show range across themes, gameplay functions, and cultural inspirations
• Portfolios should demonstrate full process, including ideation, exploration, iteration, design rationale, and final execution
• We strongly value seeing how you think: show decision-making, problem-solving, and design logic, not just polished final images
• Commercially shipped work, collaboration case studies, or examples of cross-functional impact are highly encouraged