As part of the Real-Time VFX team, youll design & help implement the sleek, dynamic & dramatic special effects that add atmosphere & depth to gameplay. With your experience, youll create aesthetically astounding visual effects that communicate essential game information. Youll use your artistic & technical skills to breathe life into undead spells, channel primal emotions & capture the essence of hundreds of champions.

As a Principal VFX Artist on the Riot MMO team, you will be responsible for driving the architecture of our real-time VFX systems & pipelines. This role focuses on strategic technical problem solvingbuilding scalable, modular systems that will support our open world, procedural content, & combat gameplay for years to come. VFX in our game is foundational. Its not just a layer of polishit shapes gameplay clarity, combat feedback, & the identity of the world itself. You'll partner across Design, Animation, & Engineering to prototype abilities, define visual language hierarchies, & create reusable systems that support thousands of effects across characters, environments, & interactions.

Responsibilities:

• Drive the architecture of scalable, modular VFX systems & pipelines that support both rapid prototyping & long-term production
• Collaborate with Design & Creative Leads to ensure VFX enhances gameplay clarity, combat readability, & visual hierarchyespecially in large-scale MMO encounters.
• Define & implement performance benchmarks & optimization strategies in partnership with Tech Art & Engineering.
• Author real-time VFX that balances gameplay needs & visual quality, with a strong focus on reuse, scalability, & systemic implementation.
• Establish visual language frameworks, initial style guides, & tool workflows to ensure consistency across characters, abilities, & environments.
• Act as a key partner & technical voice in cross-discipline collaboration, helping unblock gameplay development & shape pipeline evolution.
• Represent the VFX team in strategic conversations, especially in areas involving tech architecture, optimization, or resourcing.
• Strong problem-solving skillsable to break down VFX into components that can be used across millions of players & NPCs.
• Experience working across disciplines, partnering with Design, Animation, & Engineering to ensure seamless implementation.

Required Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience creating real-time VFX for AAA games.
• Expert-level Unreal Engine skills such as Niagara, Blueprint, Niagara Scratchpad, & Material Graphs.
• Strong understanding of visual hierarchy, readability, & prioritization in complex gameplay spaces.
• Experience with modular & systemic VFX development, creating reusable effects that scale across large environments.
• Familiarity with performance optimization for large-scale battles & high-density environments.
• Experience shipping at least one AAA game title.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience working on MMOs or large-scale multiplayer games, with a focus on combat readability & system scalability
• Experience with Houdini, Blender, Substance Designer, Adobe Animate, After Effects, Photoshop, Maya, or 3DS Max.
• Familiarity with Python or other programming languages such as C++, C#, Python, Houdinis VEX, HLSL, etc
• Familiarity with procedural world-building workflows (Houdini, Geometry Nodes, or in-engine PCG systems)
• Experience with performance benchmarking, streaming budgets, & optimization in large-scale maps
• Familiarity with the League of Legends IP or Runeterras world & aesthetics.

When submitting your application, please provide a portfolio of high-quality real-time VFX work, including examples of systematic thinking, stylized effects, technical implementation, & gameplay-focused VFX.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise & a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies & experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy & care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!

Our Perks:

Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy & other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, & life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, & children, & a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.

At Riot Games, we put players first. That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games & experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether youre working directly on a new player-facing experience or youre supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, were better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, were looking forward to your application.

Its our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants & members of Riot Games Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped & disabled Rioters & does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal & state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state & local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, & the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential & sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters & third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, & networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players & other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, & compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs & additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency & security. 

(Redwood City Only) Base salary range between $178,900 USD - $ 250,000 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, & life insurance + short & long-term disability + open PTO.