Sr. VFX Artist New

Sony Interactive Entertainment is hiring a Sr. VFX Artist at Naughty Dog studio in Santa Monica, California. This role sits within the real-time VFX department, responsible for building and implementing particle systems, materials, and environmental effects directly inside a game engine for an active AAA title in production. It suits a mid-to-senior level effects artist who has worked in games, film, or commercial VFX pipelines and is comfortable owning their work from concept through to platform optimization.

About the Role

You will be embedded in Naughty Dog’s VFX team, currently in production on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, a new IP for PlayStation. Day-to-day work involves building sprite-based particle effects, authoring materials, and iterating on real-time VFX within the studio’s proprietary engine, with close coordination across art, engineering, and design. This is a hybrid position staffed through Yoh Enterprise Solutions on a contract basis, requiring candidates to be authorized to work in the United States.

Key Responsibilities

• Concept, build, and implement real-time visual effects within the game engine, covering environmental, combat, and character-driven effect categories.
• Optimize particle systems and materials to meet platform performance budgets without sacrificing visual fidelity.
• Maintain a strong command of form, color, timing, and composition to ensure effects serve the narrative and art direction of the production.
• Identify remaining VFX tasks across the project and proactively move work forward without waiting for direction.
• Work directly with other effects artists and cross-discipline leads to resolve technical and creative problems as they arise in the VFX pipeline.
• Apply Python scripting or Houdini-based workflows where applicable to support procedural or simulation-heavy effect requirements.

What You Bring

• Demonstrated VFX experience in games, film, television, or commercial production, with shipped or aired credits preferred.
• Hands-on proficiency with sprite-based particle systems and material authoring inside a real-time game engine or comparable VFX environment.
• Proven ability to optimize effects for target platform constraints while maintaining high visual quality.
• Experience with Houdini for simulation or procedural VFX work is a meaningful advantage.
• Python scripting ability to support pipeline or tooling needs within a production workflow.

Why This Role

Naughty Dog has nearly 40 years of production history and a track record that includes The Last of Us franchise across PS5 and PC, titles that set a consistent benchmark for visual storytelling in games. The Sr. VFX Artist rate for this contract role is $57.98 to $72.45 USD per hour, with benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage through the engagement. For an effects artist looking to work inside a serious real-time VFX pipeline on a high-profile new IP, this is a substantive credit.

Apply now for the Sr. VFX Artist position at Sony Interactive Entertainment and put your real-time VFX experience to work on one of the most anticipated productions in the industry.