Location: Remote
Contract Type: Part-Time, Fixed-Term
Start Date: Immediate
Duration: 10–12 weeks
Compensation: Paid, see below

About Us

Universe or Nothing is a fledgling game studio made up of a group of creatives based in Ireland and France.

Most of us have worked together before, whether in studios, on internships, or through the local dev community, and what's brought us together now is the opportunity to build something truly unique. This project is our way of putting a stamp on the gaming world, laying the groundwork for a future where we can keep creating together.

About the Project

Persevere is a roguelike strategy game that fuses survival management with tower defense. Set on a hostile alien tomb world, the player leads a crew aboard a salvaged locomotive, navigating through collapsing colonies, strange alien complexes, and waves of relentless drones known as husks. 

We’re building a world that feels vast, mysterious, and grounded in a crumbling reality, full of alien ruins, heavy industrial design, and weary survivors.

The game is currently in pre-production for a vertical slice build, which will begin production on September 1st, and is due for completion on November 24th. Production of this vertical slice is supported by the IndieDev 2025 fund.

About the Role

We’re looking for a concept artist to help bring the visual world of Persevere to life through expressive sketches and concept art. You’ll work closely with our small passionate team to establish the visual tone for key locations, characters, props, and vehicles.

This is a part-time, fixed-term contract ideal for someone who enjoys working collaboratively on worldbuilding and pre-production for indie games.

Compensation

We have a budget of €2400 allocated to concept art for the vertical slice. We will work with the concept artist to put this spend to the best use for the vertical slice, and as such deliverables will be planned and agreed accordingly.

Responsibilities

• Create environment, prop, and vehicle concepts based on the game’s visual direction

• Develop exploratory sketches, thumbnails, and iterations to support art and design decisions

• Help define the look and feel of the game’s alien ruins, train-based infrastructure, and survivalist aesthetic

• Collaborate with the team to ensure consistency and feasibility across visual concepts

• Deliver final concept sheets and sketches suitable for use by 3D artists

Requirements

• A strong artistic vision, we are committed to pushing boundaries with Persevere

• A portfolio showing environment and/or hard-surface concept work

• Excellent sketching and visual storytelling ability

• Comfort working in an iterative, collaborative workflow

• Understanding of scale, structure, and atmosphere in environmental design

• Self-motivated, communicative, and comfortable working remotely

Nice to Have

• Sci-fi and/or alien environment concept experience

• Experience on indie games or early-stage prototyping

• Interest in survival, tower defense, or narrative-driven strategy games

• Familiarity with train or industrial infrastructure design

How to Apply

Please send your portfolio and a short note to mark.aherne@universeon.eu

We encourage applications from emerging artists and underrepresented voices in the industry.