How to Get Hired at
HoYoverse
The anime-inspired art style, international offices, salary ranges, and portfolio requirements for game artist roles at one of the world’s most-played studios.
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Studio at a Glance
Art Style by Franchise
HoYoverse’s visual language is distinctly anime-influenced with AAA technical execution.
Cel-Shaded Open World
Painterly environments with anime-style characters, strong silhouettes, and expressive cloth and hair simulation. Biomes have distinct palettes and lighting moods. Character designs blend fantasy costume design with detailed accessory work. One of the most widely referenced anime art styles in game art.
Sci-Fi Anime Refinement
Similar character visual language to Genshin in a science fiction setting. Environments mix alien architecture, spacecraft interiors, and diverse planetary biomes. Character designs lean into sci-fi costume design with strong secondary motion. High production value cinematics and character splash art.
Urban Stylized Action
Stylized contemporary urban environments with graffiti-influenced graphic design. Characters use highly exaggerated proportions and dynamic clothing. The palette is more saturated and graphic compared to Genshin. Strong use of 2D comic panel UI elements alongside 3D environments.
The Hiring Process
Portfolio Screen
Your portfolio is evaluated for alignment with HoYoverse’s anime-influenced style. Art directors review technical execution, character design sensibility, and whether your aesthetic can integrate with their existing franchise visuals. Strong anime-influenced character or environment work is a significant advantage.
Recruiter Screen
Initial call covering experience, preferred studio location (Montreal, Singapore, or Shanghai), language requirements, and role-specific background. HoYoverse hires globally but roles at different offices have different language requirements.
Art Test
HoYoverse frequently uses art tests to evaluate whether candidates can work within their specific visual standard. Tests are typically character-focused for character and concept roles, environment-focused for environment roles. Expect detailed feedback on style alignment.
Team Interview
A discussion with the discipline lead and team members. HoYoverse evaluates both technical skill and cultural fit for a studio that operates across multiple countries and languages.
Offer
Compensation is benchmarked to local market rates. Montreal and Singapore offices pay at or above local AAA studio rates. Strong performance bonuses tied to game revenue are a notable part of HoYoverse compensation structure.
Salary Ranges
Compensation benchmarks to local market rates at each office. Shanghai salaries are CNY-denominated and structured for the Chinese market. Benefits vary by location.
Portfolio Tips by Discipline
Character Art
Your portfolio must demonstrate anime-style character execution with cloth, hair, and accessory work. Show a full character pipeline: high-poly sculpt, low-poly, UVs, textures, and the in-engine shaded result. Match the production quality of existing HoYoverse characters.
Concept Art
Show character design sheets with color passes and accessory breakdowns. HoYoverse concept work needs to communicate exactly what the character art team will build. Include designs with multiple costume elements and facial expression sheets.
Environment Art
Show environments with strong illustrative color palettes and stylized material work. HoYoverse environments are not photorealistic. They use painterly texture techniques and carefully art-directed lighting. Demonstrating cel-shaded or stylized environment work is essential.
Technical Art
Cloth and hair simulation for anime-style characters is in constant demand at HoYoverse. Experience with real-time secondary motion systems, character cloth pipelines, or shader development for stylized rendering is a strong differentiator.
HoYoverse Hires for Style Fit, Not Just Technical Skill
HoYoverse has one of the most distinctive visual identities in games. Candidates who love the anime-influenced aesthetic and can demonstrate understanding of the style have a significant advantage over technically strong portfolios that don’t align with the franchise visual language. If you want to work at HoYoverse, play their games and study the character and environment art deeply before applying.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What art style does HoYoverse use?
HoYoverse uses a highly refined anime-inspired style across their franchises. Genshin Impact uses cel-shaded environments with expressive character art. Honkai: Star Rail applies a similar character style to a science fiction setting. Zenless Zone Zero leans into stylized urban environments with graphic design influence. The unifying thread is expressive character work, complex cloth simulation, and painterly color palettes.
Does HoYoverse hire internationally?
Yes. HoYoverse has offices in Shanghai, Singapore, and Montreal. The Montreal office recruits strongly from North America and Europe. Some remote roles exist but most positions require on-site work. Language requirements vary by office.
What salary does HoYoverse pay?
HoYoverse pays at local market rates with strong performance bonuses. Senior artists in Montreal earn approximately CAD $110,000 to $150,000. Singapore rates are competitive with the local AAA market. Bonuses are tied to game performance and can be significant given Genshin Impact’s revenue.
What disciplines does HoYoverse hire for most?
Character artists, concept artists, technical artists with cloth and hair simulation experience, environment artists, and VFX artists. Anime-influenced character art experience is a consistent advantage across nearly all discipline hires.
How do I apply to HoYoverse as a game artist?
Apply through HoYoverse’s careers site or LinkedIn. The Montreal studio is the most accessible for North American applicants. A portfolio demonstrating anime-style character or environment work gives you the best chance of passing the initial screen.
Related guide: Square Enix
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