Crystal Dynamics · 21 hours ago
Shaders & Materials Tech Artist Intern
San Carlos, CA
Internship
Hybrid
Intern
$21/hr - $25/hr
Start in 2026 SummerCrystal Dynamics is a leading game development studio known for iconic franchises like Tomb Raider. They are seeking a Shaders & Materials Tech Artist Intern to participate in a 12-week program, where the intern will gain hands-on experience in AAA game development while working alongside experienced professionals and contributing to active projects.
GamingPublishingSoftware
Responsibilities
Acquire essential skills using industry-standard tools, software and scripting languages such as Unreal Engine, Maya, Python, Substance Painter & Designer and GPU debuggers
Participate in the authoring shaders and materials as a small, mentored project, following technical art development process -- moving from proposal and prototype through technical design documentation, implementation, iteration, and polish
Use performance profiling tools such as Unreal Insights to identify GPU, CPU, and memory concerns and then distribute optimization recommendations to the team to support performance goals
Support more senior technical artists with authoring material features and resources, managing existing assets and content debt, fixing validation errors, and keeping documentation up to date
Enhance your understanding of advanced game development technology, focusing on Unreal Engine
Qualification
Required
Enrolled as a college Junior or Senior (Seniors could have graduated in Fall/Winter 2025 or will be graduating in Spring 2026)
Pursuing a degree in Animation, Art, Game Art, Technical Art, Game Design, Game Development, Engineering, or related fields
Availability to work full-time (40 hrs / week) for the duration of the program (June 1st –August 21st, 2026)
Able to work onsite at our studio in San Carlos, CA for the first 1- 2 weeks for onboarding
Legal eligibility to work in the United States
Submission of a complete application that includes a resume, cover letter, and a link to your portfolio or GitHub
Preferred
Portfolio demonstrating foundational technical art skills, including one or more of the following: In-engine shaders or materials, including screenshots of graph networks, shader code, performance notes, and videos and images of end results
Tiling and one-to-one material assets, including screenshots of node networks, texture breakdowns, and workflow explanation
Blog posts, articles, or other documentation that showcase an understanding of PBR, rendering pipelines, or optimization
Industry involvement outside classroom curriculum such as game jams, personal projects and/or contributions to group projects that show going above and beyond
Exposure to industry-standard development software tools and engines
Willingness to tackle challenges, learn from feedback, and adapt to new tools or workflows
Ability to communicate your ideas with eagerness to learn and put feedback into action
Benefits
100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options
Professional development reimbursement
Flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities
Company paid holidays
Additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break
Ability to accrue additional paid time-off
Medical, dental, and vision benefits package
Company
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is a leading developer of interactive entertainment based in Redwood City, California.
Founded in 1992
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Crystal Dynamics has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (2)
2024 (2)
2023 (3)
2022 (3)
2021 (7)
2020 (9)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
unknown2022-05-02Acquired
Leadership Team
Gary Snethen
CTO
C
Chad Queen
Chief Operating Officer
Recent News
2025-12-24
2025-12-19
Company data provided by crunchbase