Senior Lighting Artist (Unreal Engine)

“Expertise and experience. This one will serve.” –The Academic

Red Hook are the creators of the Darkest Dungeon series, which has grown from crowdfunded beginnings to become gaming’s most iconic strategy gothic horror franchise. Darkest Dungeon and Darkest Dungeon II have combined to sell many millions of copies. Red Hook continues to function as an independent studio under its parent company, Behaviour Interactive, with a mandate to continue creating bold titles featuring significant innovation. We strive to maintain a workplace founded upon creativity, respect, transparency, and accountability.

We’re looking for a Senior Lighting Artist to set the lighting direction for our ambitious new project in UE5 that meets the stylized look Red Hook is known for. Reporting to the Art Director and working alongside the Tech Art Director and the environment team, you'll build the lighting approach and the pipelines behind it, and light the spaces yourself. Your work will define the mood, tension, and atmosphere of our new ambitious game.

Why Join Us?

- Clear Vision & Leadership - Work with experienced leaders who know where the project is going and how to get there. Red Hook is led by the original Darkest Dungeon creators.

- Collaborative Culture - Join a team that respects and elevates each other’s craft, knowing that only through our collective efforts can we achieve success.

- Agency - With the game’s vision clearly defined, our team is trusted with real creative ownership—working without micromanagement and empowered to shape a game the entire team will be proud of.

- Stability - Red Hook is careful about hiring and firing, seeking to avoid boom and bust cycles. We’re in this for the long game.

- Beautiful Vancouver - Live and work in one of the most desirable cities in the world. Relocation assistance available.

Responsibilities

- Light environments to create moody, readable spaces that support gameplay and evoke curiosity and dread

- Define lighting standards, tooling and workflows with tech art and engineering, balancing visual quality against performance targets

- Own lighting consistency across levels, assets and post-processing

- Partner with environment art, VFX, and level design so lighting supports both art and gameplay

- Debug lighting and rendering problems with technical artists and engineers

Qualifications

- 5+ years of professional lighting experience

- Experience lighting at least one shipped title in UE5

- A strong eye for color, composition and mood, demonstrated in your portfolio

- Strong understanding of PBR and NPR workflows and how they shape lighting decisions

- Strong understanding of color grading, LUTs and post-processing in UE5

- Self-directed with the ability to give and take creative feedback

Bonus Skills

- Experience using OpenColorIO or color-managed pipeline experience

- Familiarity with Niagara/VFX systems in Unreal

- Background in photography or cinematography

Red Hook Studios is an inclusive, respectful, and supportive workplace. We encourage candidates of all identities and backgrounds to apply.