Typical time from brief to first deliverables is 1 to 2 weeks.
Game-Ace provides dedicated tech artists for studios that need the bridge between art direction and engine performance. Specialists handle shader development, lookdev, pipeline tooling, and asset optimisation for Unity and Unreal Engine. Engagements range from a single tech artist supporting an in-house art team to a full lookdev and tooling pod for a production at scale.
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Custom shaders for character, environment, and VFX use cases in Unity Shader Graph, HLSL, and Unreal Material Editor with HLSL extensions. Shaders are profiled on the target device matrix before sign-off.
Material libraries and lookdev passes that establish art direction across the project. PBR workflows are documented so artists outside the lookdev team can stay consistent.
Editor tools, import scripts, and validation utilities that automate repetitive art tasks. Tooling is documented so the in-house art team can use it after the engagement ends.
Polygon budgets, texture sets, draw call analysis, and LOD chains tuned for the target platform. Optimisation passes are validated against the project's performance budget.
Character and prop rigging for animation, including IK setups, control rigs, and asset preparation for the animation team. Rigs are tested against the target animation runtime.
More than two decades in game development.
In-house production team across key disciplines.
Delivered across selected game genres.
Tech artists sit between the art team and the engineering team on every production. The role demands shader and graphics programming skill, art direction sensitivity, and the patience to build the tooling that lets the art team move faster on real production work. Game-Ace tech artists work on production projects in Unity and Unreal Engine daily, so shader authoring, lookdev passes, and pipeline tooling are treated as one integrated discipline rather than three separate handovers between different specialists.
Clients hire a single tech artist to support an existing in-house art team, or assemble a small lookdev and tooling pod for a production at scale. Engagements run as dedicated monthly hires with direct integration into the client's Git, Jira, and review pipeline from the first sprint. NDA and IP transfer are signed before any access to art assets or engine projects. Tooling delivered during the engagement is documented so the in-house art team continues to use it afterwards.
Game-Ace tech artists deliver shader, tooling, and optimisation output that production art teams can rely on without long ramp-up periods.
Hiring a dedicated tech artist from Game-Ace starts from €5,500 per month for a Unity shader and tooling specialist, with Unreal Engine tech artists usually around €7,000 per month. Senior tech artists with shipped console or PC production credits are priced higher. Full lookdev and tooling pods are quoted per project scope.
We review the engine, art direction, performance budget, and tooling gaps to define the seniority profile and shader or tooling specialisation we source for.
We identify tech artists from our in-house team whose prior work matches the engine, target platform, and shader complexity of the project.
Shortlisted tech artists are evaluated on shader output, tooling code samples, and prior performance optimisation results against the target platform.
Client reviews shortlisted candidates with portfolio and technical notes provided. Interviews are scheduled at the client's preferred cadence.
Engagement terms, deliverable schedule, and communication setup are agreed. NDA and IP transfer are signed before any access to art repositories or engine projects.
Tech artists join the client's sprint cadence with weekly deliverables, shader reviews, and milestone profiling against the agreed performance budget.
Typical time from brief to first deliverables is 1 to 2 weeks.
Game-Ace tech artist engagements close with tech art source files including shaders, custom tooling, and pipeline documentation committed to the client's repository, with full handover notes for in-house team continuation.
GSN Games is one of the global leaders in mobile social casino games.
Program-Ace and GSN Games have been working closely together on the development of several online games.
Game-Ace’s support was integral to the success of this project. Without them, the client wouldn’t have been able to complete the work on time.
They were responsive and their work was high quality – the client rarely had to share constructive criticism.
Game-Ace has successfully integrated with the in-house development team and has earned more responsibility as the engagement has prospered.
By quickly adapting to a sophisticated technology stack, they have helped to increase product quality and reduce an extensive task backlog.
Game-Ace is a custom game development studio, operating as a division of Program-Ace, a globally recognized software development company. Since 2005, our team has successfully delivered numerous 2D and 3D game projects. Our commitment to innovation, exceptional quality, and utmost customer satisfaction has firmly established Game-Ace as a trusted and reliable partner in the industry.
