Lead 2D Game Artist (Art & Animation)

F9Play Game Studio · Remote, HCMC, VN

F9Play is an indie game studio focused on creating fun, creative, and distinctive mobile games.

We're looking for a Lead 2D Game Artist (Art & Animation) with a strong foundation in 2D art, a good understanding of animation and VFX, and the ability to lead a small art team throughout the game development process.

This is not a role where you simply review work and assign tasks.

You'll help define the visual quality and direction of our games while remaining hands-on in production when needed — across game art, UI, characters, visual assets, animation, VFX, and final polish.

You'll also work closely with Artists, Game Designers, and Developers to make sure our visuals don't just look great in design files, but work well inside the actual game.

🎨 WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead the 2D Art & Animation team throughout the development of F9Play's mobile games.
• Define and maintain the visual direction, art style, and quality standards for each project.
• Translate gameplay ideas and game requirements into clear visual direction for the team.
• Plan, prioritize, and assign art tasks based on production needs and timelines.
• Review artwork, UI assets, animation, and VFX before they are integrated into the game.
• Provide clear, specific, and constructive feedback that helps the team improve their work.
• Remain hands-on and contribute directly to important visual assets when needed.
• Participate in character design, environments, game assets, UI art, icons, promotional art, and other visual elements.
• Guide animation, motion, and VFX to make gameplay feel responsive, satisfying, and alive.
• Maintain visual consistency across screens, features, and game systems.
• Work with Game Designers to ensure visuals support gameplay and the intended player experience.
• Work with Developers to ensure assets, animation, and VFX can be implemented efficiently on mobile devices.
• Review visuals directly inside the game rather than evaluating them only in design files.
• Follow implementation through to final visual polish.
• Build and improve art production workflows, naming conventions, asset organization, and handoff processes.
• Support and mentor Junior Artists as they develop their skills.
• Proactively explore visual trends, animation techniques, game art styles, and new approaches that could improve our games.

✨ WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• A strong foundation in 2D Game Art.
• Good understanding of composition, color, lighting, shape language, typography, and visual hierarchy.
• Ability to design game assets that work well on mobile screens.
• Good understanding of animation principles and how animation affects gameplay feel.
• Understanding of VFX and visual feedback in games.
• Ability to establish and maintain a consistent visual style across a product.
• Ability to look at artwork or animation and clearly identify what isn't working and how it can be improved.
• Experience creating and optimizing assets for games rather than only standalone artwork.
• Understanding of the full pipeline from concept → production → export → implementation → polish.
• Proficiency with Photoshop, Illustrator, or equivalent 2D art tools.
• Experience with Spine, After Effects, or similar animation tools.
• Basic understanding of UI/UX for mobile games.
• Ability and willingness to directly create or modify assets when the project needs it.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who can balance:

Visual Quality → Player Experience → Production Reality.

A design may look beautiful, but if it is difficult to implement, unclear on a mobile screen, or doesn't support gameplay effectively, it isn't finished yet.

👥 LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK

This is a Lead role in a small indie team, so we're not looking for someone who only assigns tasks and reviews the results.

You'll work directly alongside the team.

• Break larger requirements into clear, actionable tasks.
• Set priorities and distribute work based on each team member's strengths and the needs of the project.
• Review work throughout production instead of waiting until an asset is finished to provide feedback.
• Give feedback that explains the problem, the reason behind it, and how it can be improved — rather than simply saying "it doesn't look right" or "do it again."
• Know when further iteration is necessary and when the quality is good enough to move production forward.
• Protect the visual direction while remaining open to better ideas and solutions from the team.
• Encourage Artists to contribute ideas rather than simply execute instructions.
• Support Junior Artists when they encounter problems and help them understand how to improve instead of simply fixing the work for them.
• Identify production risks and bottlenecks early and communicate them with the team.
• Take responsibility for the final visual quality of a feature, not just individual assets.

Being a Lead at F9Play doesn't mean having to come up with every idea. We want a Lead who can create an environment where good ideas can come from anyone on the team — and then help turn those ideas into a consistent, high-quality product.

💬 COMMUNICATION & REMOTE WORK

This is a 100% remote position, so communication and ownership are an important part of the role.

• Proactively communicate the team's progress and the status of visual tasks.
• Ask questions early when gameplay requirements or technical constraints are unclear.
• Communicate visual direction through references, paint-overs, mockups, or prototypes instead of relying only on verbal explanations.
• When giving feedback, explain why a change is needed and how it improves the product.
• Communicate proactively with Game Designers and Developers throughout production.
• Raise potential risks to deadlines or quality early.
• Organize your own work while helping the team maintain a sustainable production timeline.
• Maintain consistent communication and availability during the working hours agreed upon with the team.

Remote at F9Play doesn't mean everyone works separately and combines their work at the end. Artists, Game Designers, and Developers communicate regularly throughout the process of building a feature.

⭐ NICE TO HAVE

• Previous experience as a Lead Artist, Senior Game Artist, or in a similar role.
• Experience leading or mentoring a small art team.
• Experience developing mobile games.
• Experience with casual games, social games, or games with rich animation and visual effects.
• Experience designing game UI.
• Experience with character design and character animation.
• Experience with Spine 2D.
• Experience creating VFX for games.
• Experience working directly with a game engine.
• Experience with Construct 3, Unity, or a similar engine.
• Understanding of mobile performance constraints, texture sizes, sprite sheets, and animation optimization.
• Ability to create animation or VFX prototypes directly in-engine.
• Experience creating art guidelines or visual systems for games.
• Experience managing asset libraries and art production pipelines.
• Experience using AI tools for concept exploration, ideation, or production workflows.
• Experience contributing to a game from early concept through release.

🛠 WHAT THE WORK MAY LOOK LIKE

For example, the team is developing a new game feature.

The Game Designer provides the gameplay flow and requirements.

You might start by:

Understand the gameplay → define the visual direction → gather references → create a key visual or mockup → align on the art style → create the asset list → assign tasks to Artists → review artwork → guide animation and VFX → work with the Developer during implementation → review the feature directly in-game → adjust animation, timing, scale, and visual feedback → polish until the feature feels complete.

Another day might involve:

Reviewing a character design → improving a UI screen → creating a paint-over for a Junior Artist → producing a key asset → reviewing animation → tuning VFX → discussing performance with a Developer → building an art guideline for a project → or brainstorming the visual direction for a new game.

Because F9Play is an indie game studio, you won't be limited to one small part of production.

You'll have the opportunity to take part in the full process of turning an idea into a visual experience that players actually see and feel inside the game.

👤 WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We're not looking for a Lead who simply manages tasks.

We're looking for someone who often asks:

“Does this visual actually support the gameplay?”
“Does this animation make the interaction feel better?”
“Will the player immediately understand what just happened?”
“How can the team make this better?”

You might be a great fit if you:

• genuinely love game art;
• have high standards for visual quality while understanding production constraints;
• pay attention to small details in games;
• enjoy creating things yourself rather than only managing others;
• can see the bigger picture while still noticing small visual problems;
• enjoy helping other Artists grow;
• can provide clear feedback without taking away the creator's ownership or creativity;
• enjoy experimenting with new styles and approaches;
• communicate proactively with Game Designers and Developers;
• take ownership of the final product;
• and want to help build games from the ground up with a small indie studio.

📁 PORTFOLIO

Your portfolio is one of the most important parts of your application for this role.

We want to see not only whether you can create great artwork, but also how you think about and guide the visual direction of a game.

Your portfolio may include: 2D Game Art, Character Design, Environment / Background Art, Game UI, Icons & Game Assets, Animation, VFX, Visual Development, Art Direction / Style Guides, game projects you've contributed to, before / after examples or examples of how you improved a visual, and projects where you led or mentored other Artists.

For team projects, please briefly explain:

What you were responsible for → team size → what you created directly → what you led or reviewed.

We value quality and practical application in real games more than the number of pieces in your portfolio.

📩 HOW TO APPLY

Please send your application to contact@f9play.com, including:

• CV / Resume
• Portfolio
• Game projects you've worked on
• A short introduction about yourself
• A brief description of your experience leading or mentoring a team (if applicable)

Email subject: [Lead 2D Game Artist] – Your Name