Art Lead – 3D Generalist

Game District is seeking a talented and experienced Art Lead – 3D Generalist to join our team in Lahore. This full-time, on-site role involves leading the visual development of mobile games, combining hands-on 3D art skills with strong leadership to ensure high-quality, visually compelling, and commercially competitive game art. The successful candidate will oversee the entire 3D art pipeline, mentor artists, collaborate closely with designers and developers, and transform creative concepts into polished, optimized, game-ready assets tailored for mobile platforms.

Key Responsibilities
Lead the art direction for mobile game projects from concept through production, defining and maintaining the overall visual style and quality standards. Create and supervise the production of high-quality 3D characters, environments, props, and game-ready models. Manage the full 3D production pipeline, including modeling, sculpting, texturing, UV mapping, lighting, materials and shaders, basic rigging and animation, rendering, and asset optimization. Review team artwork regularly, providing clear, constructive feedback to improve quality and consistency. Mentor and support 3D artists to enhance their technical and artistic skills. Assign, prioritize, and monitor art tasks to meet deadlines and maintain quality. Collaborate closely with game designers, developers, animators, UI/UX artists, producers, and product teams to convert concepts and gameplay requirements into engaging visual experiences. Ensure all 3D assets are optimized for mobile platforms without compromising visual quality. Establish and refine art workflows, pipelines, naming conventions, and production standards. Identify artistic or technical risks early and propose practical solutions. Participate actively in brainstorming sessions, contributing ideas for characters, environments, themes, gameplay presentation, and visual effects. Stay current with mobile gaming trends, art styles, competitor games, tools, and production techniques. Support multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining visual consistency and quality.

Required Qualifications
5 to 8 years of professional experience in 3D art, game art, or related creative production roles, with at least 2 years in a senior or lead artist position. Proven experience in the gaming industry, preferably mobile gaming, with released titles on platforms such as the App Store or Google Play. Hands-on expertise in creating characters, environments, props, and other game-ready 3D assets from concept to final implementation. Experience working within Unity-based production pipelines and collaborating closely with developers and designers. Strong skills in optimizing 3D assets for mobile devices, including managing polygon budgets, texture sizes, materials, draw calls, LODs, and overall performance. Demonstrated ability to establish or improve art pipelines, workflows, quality standards, and asset production processes. Experience providing art direction, reviews, feedback, and mentorship to junior and mid-level artists. Ability to work across various art styles, including stylized, casual, hyper-casual, realistic, or semi-realistic mobile game art. Prior experience owning the visual direction of a game or project from pre-production through launch is highly desirable. A strong portfolio showcasing expertise in 3D modeling, texturing, characters, environments, props, lighting, and game-ready asset creation. Proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Blender, Autodesk Maya or 3ds Max, ZBrush, Substance Painter/Designer, and Adobe Photoshop. Good understanding of Unity and game-engine art production workflows. Solid grasp of mobile game optimization and technical limitations. Strong knowledge of composition, color theory, lighting, proportions, materials, form, and visual storytelling. Ability to adapt to different visual styles and maintain a high level of quality, consistency, and polish. Excellent leadership, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits
Experience working on successful or high-performing mobile games. Proven track record in managing or mentoring a team of 3D artists. Familiarity with animation, rigging, VFX, shaders, and technical art workflows. Awareness of current mobile gaming market trends and top-performing titles. Experience in fast-paced, agile game production environments. Knowledge of AI-assisted art tools and modern content creation workflows is a plus. Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional and multidisciplinary teams is highly valued.

This role offers the opportunity to lead creative efforts in a dynamic gaming environment, contributing to exciting mobile game projects with a talented team.