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 Senior VFX Artist on League of Legends, you will drive the creation of visually striking & gameplay-clear real-time effects across a variety of in-game, around-game systems & environments. Your work will contribute to a constantly evolving long-standing game experience, blending atmospheric world-building with clarity-driven design. Youll collaborate closely with design, engineering, & product partners to ensure that visual effects support both gameplay functionality & a cohesive artistic vision. You will report to the VFX Art Lead & contribute as both an individual artist & a mentor. Youll help set artistic direction, push visual quality, & refine processes & pipelines for scalable content delivery.

Responsibilities:

• Design & implement real-time VFX that bring the map, champions, & systemic gameplay elements to life
• Create immersive environmental effects for the map
• Design VFX for use out of game, supporting transitions, selections, feedback states, & thematic immersion in a way that feels fresh but rooted in Leagues iconic visual language
• Balance visual spectacle with gameplay clarity
• Partner with cross-discipline leads to ensure technical feasibility, aesthetic quality, & performance requirements
• Provide mentorship, feedback, & guidance to mid-level & junior artists on the team
• Help define & uphold VFX standards & documentation for clarity, performance, & style across systems
• Contribute to building & evolving tools & workflows that empower the team to deliver quality quickly

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional experience creating stylized, real-time VFX in games
• Deep understanding of VFX fundamentals: timing, motion, shape language, color theory, & impact readability
• Proficient in VFX creation using tools such as Maya, Photoshop, & game engines like Unity or Unreal
• Experience optimizing VFX for performance & clarity in a competitive or system-heavy game context
• Ability to think both artistically & technically to solve complex visual communication challenges
• Strong collaboration & communication skills, especially in multi-disciplinary environments

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience creating effects for maps, UI systems, or game clients
• Hands-on experience with shader pipelines in Unreal or Unity, including custom material creation & optimization
• Familiarity with League of Legends & its visual & gameplay clarity principles
• Experience mentoring or leading junior VFX artists
• Comfortable with custom toolsets & pipelines; able to help improve & adapt workflows

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.