Mid VFX Artist – Vic/SA/Qld New

Keywords Studios Australia is hiring a Mid VFX Artist to join the Liquid Development studio brand, with preferred base locations in Melbourne, Adelaide, or Brisbane. This role sits within the real-time VFX pipeline, responsible for building and optimising particle systems, shader networks, and in-engine visual effects that meet AAA production standards across major game titles. It suits a mid-level technical artist who has moved beyond junior work and is comfortable owning effects from concept through to final in-engine implementation.

About the Role

Liquid Development has been producing outsource art for AAA game publishers since 2000, with credits spanning franchises like Halo, Mass Effect, and Call of Duty, and the Australian arm now runs 30 or more artists across three cities. As a Mid VFX Artist, your day-to-day involves creating real-time effects in a modern commercial game engine, troubleshooting shader behaviour, and feeding clean assets into a shared VFX pipeline alongside lead and technical artists. The work is production-driven with clear review cycles and documentation expectations built into the process.

Key Responsibilities

• Create and optimise real-time particle systems and shader networks within a commercial game engine to hit visual targets set by the art lead.
• Design and implement custom rendering passes and post-effects using shader development techniques suited to console and PC delivery.
• Translate briefs from lead artists and technical artists into final in-game VFX assets that are optimised for performance across target platforms.
• Research and integrate procedural methods and specialised VFX tools to raise the visual quality bar within the production pipeline.
• Write and maintain clear technical documentation covering workflows, known issues, and solutions for reuse across the team.
• Identify technical debt early and propose tested, documented solutions that reduce production risk on future milestones.

What You Bring

• Approximately three or more years of professional experience working within a games industry VFX pipeline.
• Hands-on proficiency in at least one DCC package such as Maya, Blender, or 3ds Max, and advanced skills in Houdini, EmberGen, or a comparable real-time VFX tool.
• Scripting or coding ability in one or more core languages used in game engine development.
• Familiarity with console development across Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, or Xbox platforms is well regarded.
• Experience creating UI-specific visual effects and motion graphics for in-engine interface elements is a genuine advantage.

Why This Role

Liquid Development operates under the Keywords Studios group, one of the largest game services organisations globally, which means the production slate is consistent and the titles carry real weight in the industry. The Australian studios work closely with Tantalus Media on full-scope projects, giving Mid VFX Artists exposure to the full production arc rather than isolated asset work. The team is deliberately kept collaborative, with shared learnings and workflow development built into how the studio runs.

Apply now for the Mid VFX Artist position with Keywords Studios Australia and put your real-time VFX work in front of some of the biggest publishers in AAA game development.