Magic Spark is hiring Art Lead, 2026

Job Summary : Art Lead

About Magic Spark

At Magic Spark, we believe in building games that captivate players from the very first second. We are a dynamic, forward-thinking game development studio focused on creating memorable, high-impact interactive experiences. Operating remotely with a strong base in Estonia, our culture thrives on autonomy, creative ownership, and a shared passion for making beautiful games. When you join Magic Spark, you are stepping into an environment where your visual instincts shape our products, our brand, and our future on the gaming front page.

About the Role Art Lead

Own the visual vision and ship it. As our Art Lead at Magic Spark, you will define a single, cohesive art direction for each project and shepherd it seamlessly from concept to launch—turning scattered contributions into an appealing, marketable look.

Guard the quality bar relentlessly. Every asset that makes it into the game passes directly through your hands. You ensure everything is consistent, on-brand, and fully performant. Nothing goes live without your seal of approval.

Obsess over first impressions. Players decide whether they stay in a matter of seconds. Whether it is thumbnails, key art, badges, or icons, getting these right wins the front page; getting them wrong leaves great work unseen.

Range widely across disciplines. One week you might be establishing the visual style for a brand-new project, and the next you are reviewing VFX, sanity-checking environment art, or tuning marketing thumbnails. We value cross-disciplinary fluency—spanning 2D, 3D, VFX, environments, animation, and sound—over being boxed into a single niche.

Shape the games, not just dress them. Push back on design choices, flag readability problems early, and bring artistic thinking directly into project reviews. Your visual instincts will influence what we build, not just how it looks.

Key Responsibilities

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with design, tech, production, and marketing. Most of the job involves communication—aligning clearly and kindly on readability, performance budgets, and priorities during calls and in writing.
• Team Leadership & Mentorship: Lead the people, not just the pixels. Break work down into manageable steps with clear acceptance criteria, provide fast and actionable feedback, and keep junior and mid-level artists moving happily forward without endless rework.
• Production Transparency: Size work honestly alongside production, identify risks upfront, and surface scope, time, or quality blockers before they impact the team.
• Performance Optimization: Keep performance front-of-mind for every asset. Catch optimization bottlenecks before they hit the live game, ensuring smooth execution.
• Culture Carrier: Back your team completely. Mentor artists, explain the underlying rationale behind your feedback, celebrate shared wins, and protect a cooperative, ego-free studio culture.

What We Are Looking For

While none of these qualifications are rigid requirements, strong candidates typically bring most of them. If you are missing a couple but make up for it elsewhere, we strongly encourage you to apply:

• A proven track record of leading or anchoring art on shipped games or serious projects—whether solo, in a team, or a combination of both.
• Hands-on Roblox art experience or comparable game development expertise across 3D, VFX, environment art, animation, or UI, utilizing tools like Blender and the Adobe art suite.
• A robust portfolio displaying both technical craft and broad range, with clear labels indicating which elements were yours versus what you directed.
• An unwavering eye for consistency, a sharp instinct for when something looks off, and the persistence to drive an asset to absolute completion.
• The ability to establish a comprehensive style guide and successfully enforce it through the unpredictable middle stages of production.
• A talent for giving specific, kind feedback that moves both the asset and the artist forward.
• Strong self-direction—you unblock yourself and your team quickly and take full ownership of outcomes.
• Clear, professional written and spoken communication skills in English.
• A genuine passion for playing games and crafting beautiful experiences.

Nice-to-Haves

While not strictly required to apply, any of the following will significantly strengthen your candidacy:

• Something you art-directed and shipped yourself, such as a Roblox place, an indie build, or a game-jam entry.
• Experience keeping a live Roblox experience visually fresh and updated over time.
• A strong grasp of what Roblox players find appealing and how the front-page algorithm rewards striking visuals.
• A working understanding of performance budgets and asset optimization for large player populations.
• Hands-on proficiency in 2D, 3D, VFX, environment art, animation, or sound design.
• Previous experience mentoring or leading artists within remote, self-managing team structures.
• Extra skills such as marketing art, UI/UX design, or broader game design.