Art Lead - External Development

Scopely is looking for an Art Lead to join our Slate Development Group in the US on a hybrid or remote basis (Hybrid in Culver City)!

At Scopely, we care deeply about what we do and want to inspire play, every day - whether in our work environments alongside our talented colleagues, or through our deep connections with our communities of players. We are a global team of game lovers who are developing, publishing and innovating the mobile games industry, connecting millions of people around the world daily. 

We’re looking for an experienced and highly collaborative Art Lead to help drive the visual quality of our new AAA action RPG. This role will partner closely with our external development studio in Shanghai, ensuring the holistic art direction aligns with Scopely’s creative vision, technical requirements, and IP standards. You’ll be hands-on to give feedback, provide paintovers, and push for visual problem-solving, while also acting as a key communication bridge between our internal Scopely team, our external Shanghai studio, and our world-reknown IP holder. 

What You Will Do 

• External Studio Leadership
• Partner with our external development studio to guide and coordinate art quality across characters, environments, VFX, UI, and more
• Help establish and maintain efficient art workflows, feedback loops, and quality standards across time zones
• Partner with the Creative Director and Art Director to craft the evolving Art Direction.
• Quality Bar & Visual Development
• Perform paintovers, visual callouts, and written feedback to elevate the art to a AAA-quality bar
• Identify visual risks early and proactively course-correct to maintain style, readability, and polish
• Help define and uphold the game’s visual style, ensuring consistency across all art deliverables
• Feedback & Communication
• Review art submissions and playtest builds to provide concise, actionable feedback that is clear, respectful, and actionable
• Translate high-level creative direction into concrete, production-ready visual guidance for our Shanghai studio
  
  
• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure art supports gameplay and performance needs
  
  
• IP Holder Collaboration
• Partner with our IP holder to establish visual guidelines, approvals, and feedback
• Clearly interpret and relay art feedback to the development team, helping them understand intent and constraints
• Ensure all art content aligns with established IP canon, while still meeting gameplay needs and driving towards a world-class player experience
  
  

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional game art experience, with at least 2+ years in a lead or senior role
• Experience working on AAA or high-end action RPGs on mobile or PC
• Proven experience collaborating with external or offshore development studios
• Strong visual fundamentals (composition, color, lighting, anatomy, material definition)
• Comfortable doing hands-on paintovers and async visual problem-solving
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially for giving clear, constructive feedback
• Experience working with established IPs and navigating approval pipelines
  
  

Nice to Have

• Experience working with teams in China or across multiple time zones
• Familiarity with Unity art pipelines, tooling, and processes
• Passion for action RPGs or Low Fantasy IPs
• Mandarin language proficiency is a strong plus