VFX Art Intern - TFT - Summer 2025 (Remote)

As part of the Real-Time VFX team, you’ll design and help implement the sleek, dynamic and dramatic special effects that add atmosphere and depth to gameplay. With your experience, you’ll create aesthetically astounding visual effects that communicate essential game information. You’ll use your artistic and technical skills to breathe life into undead spells, channel primal emotions and visualize the richness of our universes.

As a Visual Effects Art Intern on the Teamfight Tactics Team, you will report to the VFX Art Lead. You will support a variety of projects on TFT, both in craft and game-play as we create assets that will both surprise and delight players. You will collaborate with designers and other discipline artists making exciting VFX for future sets, and create a variety of VFX in many unique styles. The role also invites collaboration with other VFX artists both on TFT and League of Legends to ensure you grow in craft and feel comfortable jumping on a variety of VFX tasks.

Responsibilities:

• Design and help implement the sleek, dynamic, and dramatic special effects that add atmosphere and depth to gameplay
• Balance visual satisfaction and gameplay clarity while working to ensure amazing effects are accurately representing a given action or state 
• Create aesthetically astounding visual effects that communicate essential game information and capture the essence of hundreds of characters
• Use your craft skills to draw, paint, animate and model with equal proficiency as-needed 
• Use your your encyclopedic knowledge of visual effects to synthesize brand new assets from classic designs
• Find creative and effective solutions to eliminate difficult problems in production and as-needed

Required Qualifications:

• Currently enrolled in a college, university or non-degree program 
• Graduating during the 2026 calendar year 
• Available to work full-time hours for the 12 week internship duration
• Eligible to work in the country that you reside in during this remote program
• Skills in 3D/2D Software - Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop 
• Experience creating real-time VFX
• Proficiency in VFX development, including fundamentals like timing, shape language, color theory and mesh engineering
• Experience with Photoshop, Maya or 3DS Max
• Experience with Unity, Unreal, or equivalent game engine VFX tools

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience with hand drawn, painterly art style visual effects
• Knowledge of our games, as it pertains to game design and visual clarity.

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about the experiences of players, this could be the role for you!

General Portfolio Advice:

• Please limit application submission to 1 role. You will automatically be considered for similar roles based on your portfolio
• Online format is preferred (Artstation, personal websites, etc.)
• If you have private work that is under NDA, please include the password in your application. Otherwise, we recommend you do not password protect your portfolio
• Test that your portfolio or reel is accessible. Please include access to your portfolio on your resume in addition to the application form in case the link breaks
• Ensure your portfolio showcases your best work
• Fan Art? Sure! It shows your versatility as it relates directly to our art style
• Depending on the role, immersing yourself in the game to get the feel, tone and look can go a long way for your portfolio

Applications close Friday, January 10th, 2025 at 11:59pm PT 

Our Perks:

Riot Internships are paid, and interns can also participate in our 401(k) plan. You can expect in-game perks, and the ability to participate in our Play Fund, so you can broaden and deepen your knowledge of our players and community through games. The University Programs team also invites you to intern focused events so you can connect with your fellow interns and Rioters to make the most out of your experience.

Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner's Code and Community Code. Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming.

It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.

Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:

• Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
• Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
• Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
• Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security. 

(Remote Only) The hourly rate for this internship is USD $43.61