What are the responsibilities and job description for the VFX Artist II position at Bluberi?
BLUBERI VALUES:
- We Are the New School
- Clarity and Transparency
- Find It, Fix It, Own It
- Standard Operating Success
- Easiest Company to do Business With
- It’s A Team Sport
- Celebrate Wins, But Never Be Satisfied
About the Company:
Welcome to Bluberi, where we’re putting the FUN in gaming! Driven by innovation and a dash of disruption, our team are masterminds of developing highly original software and technology solutions that spice up the gaming scene. Bluberi is rapidly expanding and offers 5 offices throughout North America - headquarters in Las Vegas, NV, and design studios located in Reno, NV: Drummondville, QC, Moncton, NB and our newest studio in Austin, TX. We bring over 30 years’ industry experience, and we’re committed to delivering standout casino gaming experiences to players and operators alike. Our creative innovators are on a mission to shake things up with fun-driven products. At Bluberi, we dare to be bold, proud of our creativity, enjoy being disruptors and are always ready to add a little extra imagination with a twist into everything we do.
About the Team:
The Jackalope Studio leads the development of engaging land-based slot machines, contributing to Bluberi’s dynamic R&D department in concert with other development teams across the U.S. and Canada. Our passionate team of seasoned professionals spans multiple disciplines, including mathematics, visual arts, software engineering, game design, audio engineering, and quality assurance. Operating in a hybrid model in Austin TX, we balance seamless collaboration on target hardware with the flexibility to foster creativity and efficiency.
Summary:
Bluberi is seeking a VFX Artist to create high-impact, real-time visual effects for Unity-based slot games. This role is responsible for designing and implementing effects that enhance gameplay clarity, reinforce player feedback, and elevate the emotional experience of our games. The ideal candidate combines strong artistic fundamentals with real-time engine experience and a deep understanding of timing, motion, and visual storytelling. This is a content-focused role, centered on crafting effects—not building tools or pipelines.
Essential Functions:
- Real-Time Visual Effects Creation
- Own the timing, pacing, polish, and emotional impact of visual effects to deliver satisfying and memorable player moments
- Design and implement real-time visual effects using Unity, including particle systems (Shuriken), Embergen, shaders, and animated elements
- Create effects for core gameplay moments such as wins, feature triggers, symbol interactions, and bonus sequences
- Iterate on effects to solve visual clarity, readability, and gameplay communication challenges
- Gameplay Feedback & Presentation
- Collaborate with game design and audio to deliver cohesive, synchronized player experiences
- Design effects that clearly communicate gameplay outcomes and reinforce player understanding of game events
- Balance spectacle with clarity to ensure effects enhance—not obscure—gameplay
- Contribute to visual direction by aligning effects with overall game tone, pacing, and player expectations
- Asset Development, Integration & Optimization
- Create and integrate VFX assets using tools such as Unity, Unity VFX Graph, Spine, After Effects, Adobe Creative Suite, and 3D tools including Houdini, Blender, or Maya.
- Optimize visual effects for performance, memory usage, and platform constraints while maintaining visual quality
- Iterate quickly based on feedback from playtests, reviews, and production milestones
- Cross-Discipline Collaboration
- Partner with Technical Artists to implement effects within established pipelines and performance budgets
- Collaborate with artists, designers, and developers to align visual effects with overall game vision
- Contribute to problem-solving discussions around visual clarity, performance, and player experience
- Support team reviews by presenting work clearly and incorporating feedback effectively
Required Education & Experience:
- Strong portfolio demonstrating high-quality VFX work, including gameplay-driven effects and motion design
- 3 years of professional experience creating real-time visual effects or animation for games or interactive media
- Experience working in Unity or similar real-time game engines
- Proficiency with tools such as Spine, After Effects, and Adobe Creative Suite
- Experience authoring particle systems, materials, and shaders (Shader Graph or equivalent)
- Strong understanding of animation principles, timing, composition, color, and visual hierarchy
Preferred Education & Experience:
- Experience with simulation or advanced VFX tools such as Houdini, Shuriken, Embergen, or equivalent is a plus
- Experience in casino gaming or similar real-time entertainment products
- Familiarity with performance constraints and optimization techniques for real-time applications
- Basic understanding of scripting or technical workflows (C#, Python, or similar)
- Basic understanding of the casino gaming industry and gameplay.
- Experience working in collaborative, cross-discipline game development teams
- Shows dedication to continuous learning and contributes to improving the studio and organization. Spends regular time on self-improvement that provides value to the organization.
Work Environment:
OFFICE: Quiet and within a secure office location
Physical Demands:
- While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee is also regularly required to stand, walk, sit, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms, and to sit, climb or balance, and stoop, stretch, bend, kneel, crouch, or crawl
- Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, ability to see color and the ability to adjust focus. Essential responsibilities include moderate physical ability such as lift or maneuver at least ten (10) pounds, and prolonged instances of sitting during the shift
Travel Required:
Ability to travel 5-10% with some international travel (Canada)
Why You’ll Love Working Here:
- Competitive Salary, Annual Company Bonus & Studio Bonus Program
- 401(k)
- Health, Dental, & Vision insurance
- Flexible hybrid schedule
- Unlimited PTO