Artist Roadmap

 

Projecting Out Past Graduation

Questions:

1. If you could project out past graduation, what is your overall career goal?

   My goal is to become a professional 3D Character Artist specializing in creature and humanoid design. I am particularly drawn to dark fantasy, gothic, and survival horror worlds—the kinds of settings where atmosphere, anatomy, and storytelling converge. I aspire to work on projects with a tone similar to Dark Souls, Bloodborne, The Last of Us, or A Plague Tale, where the creatures serve both narrative and emotional purposes. Over the next three years, I plan to stay in the United States to gain professional experience, ideally on the East Coast. Still, I am open to relocating to France or Montreal for the right creative opportunity. While my long-term goal is to work on high-quality, narrative-driven titles, I am willing to take on any role as a 3D Character Artist specializing in creatures within the industry that allows me to grow, learn, and build professional experience. I value adaptability and see every opportunity, large or small, as a step toward mastering my craft.

2. If you could project out into starting your career, what sounds the most appealing to you?

   • I would like to work as a 3D Character Artist focused on creatures and humanoid design.

   • I enjoy working in both realistic and stylized horror aesthetics—sculpting forms that are unsettling yet believable.

   • I am interested in blending technical workflows (ZBrush, Maya, Unreal Engine, Substance Painter) with creative storytelling through anatomy, texture, and light.

   • I would also be open to contributing to environmental storytelling or lighting, as these complement creature work and mood design.

   • I am open to starting in related positions—such as asset creation, prop modeling, or technical art—if they allow me to gain industry experience and contribute meaningfully to production.

3. What are some of the top companies that you are interested in working for?

   I am primarily interested in studios that develop games in the dark fantasy, horror, and survival realism genres. My focus is on studios based in France, Montreal, and the U.S. East Coast, where many of these worlds are crafted by teams blending technical mastery with artistic expression.

4. • Behaviour Interactive (Montreal, Canada) – Dead by Daylight: horror-focused, stylized but grounded in realism, offering diverse monster and killer designs.

   • Red Barrels (Montreal, Canada) – Outlast: psychological and survival horror emphasizing anatomy and environmental tension.

   • Bethesda Game Studios (Maryland, USA) – Fallout, Skyrim: creature design grounded in post-apocalyptic realism and world-building.

   • Arkane Studios (Lyon, France) – Dishonored, Prey: elegant gothic surrealism blending character and environment storytelling.

   • Asobo Studio (Bordeaux, France) – A Plague Tale: historical horror with a focus on light, mood, and atmosphere.

   • Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe (Lyon, France) – Elden Ring, Little Nightmares: publishes and collaborates on the worlds that inspire my art direction.

   • Dontnod Entertainment (Paris, France) – Vampyr: character-driven gothic storytelling with strong visual tone.

   • Tarsier Studios (via Bandai Namco Europe) – Little Nightmares: surreal environmental horror, blending psychological design and atmosphere.

   • Firaxis Games (Baltimore, Maryland, USA) – XCOM, Marvel’s Midnight Suns: creature and alien design with tactical and cinematic art direction.

   • Avalanche Studios Group (New York City, USA) – Mad Max, Just Cause 3, Rage 2: open-world design with realistic creature 

   • Iron Galaxy Studios (Orlando, Florida, USA) – Killer Instinct, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves (PC): experienced in combat-heavy games with complex character models.

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Studio Summary Table

Studio	Location	Scale	Ownership	Known For
Bethesda Game Studios	Maryland, USA	AAA	Microsoft	Fallout, Skyrim
Bandai Namco Europe	Lyon, France	AAA	Bandai Namco Holdings	Elden Ring, Little Nightmares
Arkane Studios	Lyon, France	AAA	Microsoft	Dishonored, Prey
Asobo Studio	Bordeaux, France	AAA	Independent (partnered)	A Plague Tale
Behaviour Interactive	Montreal, Canada	AA+	Independent	Dead by Daylight
Dontnod Entertainment	Paris, France	AA	Independent	Vampyr
Red Barrels	Montreal, Canada	Indie	Independent	Outlast
Tarsier Studios	Malmö, SE / Lyon publishing	Indie	Independent	Little Nightmares
Firaxis Games	Maryland, USA	AAA	2K / Take-Two Interactive	XCOM, Marvel’s Midnight Suns
Avalanche Studios Group	New York, USA	AAA	Avalanche Studios Group	Mad Max, Rage 2
Iron Galaxy Studios	Florida, USA	AA	Independent	Killer Instinct, Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves (PC)