How to Get Hired at King
What King looks for in game artists, how the hiring process works at a major mobile studio, salary ranges by location, and how to build a portfolio for casual and midcore game art.
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Art Style by Title
King’s visual language is built for mobile screens, small thumbnails, and players who may never read a tutorial. Every design decision is filtered through readability, approachability, and brand consistency across franchise iterations.
Candy Crush Saga
Isometric Match-3Bright, high-saturation candy and confectionery aesthetic. Clean geometry, smooth gradients, and color-coded readability at the match-3 grid scale. The visual system must work at both thumbnail icon size and full-screen celebration animation.
- High color saturation with strong hue contrast between candy types
- Smooth, polished surface materials — no gritty or rough textures
- Character designs built for small-screen expression readability
- Celebratory VFX that reads clearly on mobile hardware
Farm Heroes Saga
Soft CasualWarm pastoral palette with rounded character designs and soft, friendly shapes. Less saturated than Candy Crush, with more natural greens and earth tones. Characters communicate emotion through exaggerated facial expressions and simplified forms.
- Rounded, approachable shapes with no sharp edges
- Warm, natural palette — greens, yellows, soft browns
- Character faces designed for maximum expression at small size
- Environments that reinforce the cozy, pastoral brand feeling
UI and Interface Art
Mobile UIKing’s UI art must perform consistently across hundreds of device sizes and screen densities. Icons, buttons, and HUD elements are designed at 2x and 3x resolution and tested at real mobile viewport sizes before approval.
- Vector-friendly design that scales without quality loss
- High contrast between interactive and decorative elements
- Touch-target sizing built into the initial design spec
- Animation and microinteraction specs are part of the delivery
VFX and Animation
Mobile VFXMobile VFX at King is constrained by performance budgets that would be unusable in PC or console development. Particle counts, shader complexity, and overdraw are heavily managed. Great mobile VFX achieves impact through timing and color, not particle density.
- Performance-first design — target frame rate is a hard constraint
- High visual impact from minimal particle counts
- Strong timing and ease curves compensate for technical limits
- Loops and idle states require as much craft as hero celebration moments
The Hiring Process
King’s hiring moves faster than most studios. The art team makes decisions quickly once a strong portfolio is submitted.
Portfolio Review
Art leads review submissions before HR involvement. For King, showing work that demonstrates an understanding of mobile constraints is more valuable than a technically complex AAA portfolio. If your best work is high-poly cinematic art, consider adding a mobile-appropriate piece before applying.
Typical duration: 1-3 weeksRecruiter Screen
A brief call to confirm your background, preferred office, and salary expectations. King has offices in Stockholm, London, Barcelona, Berlin, and Malta — the franchise team and location are usually specified in the job posting.
Typical duration: 30 minutesArt Team Interview
Portfolio walkthrough with the art lead and one or two team members. Expect questions about your design process, how you handle feedback from metrics or player research, and how you balance creative quality with technical constraints. King operates data-informed art direction — knowing that art decisions are sometimes reversed by player testing is part of the culture.
Typical duration: 60 minutesShort Art Task
A brief (typically 1-3 days) art task in the style of the game you are applying to. The brief usually involves a character, prop, or VFX element. Deliver work that matches the franchise’s established visual language rather than demonstrating your personal style — King’s reviewers are assessing style adherence and speed, not artistic individuality.
Typical duration: 1-3 days, usually unpaidFinal Interview and Offer
A brief final conversation to discuss the task submission and confirm team fit. King typically moves to offer within 1-2 weeks after the final interview for candidates who pass the task review.
Typical duration: 1-2 weeksSalary Ranges
| Role | Level | Salary | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Artist | Mid-level | SEK 500,000 – 700,000 / yr | Stockholm |
| Game Artist | Senior | SEK 700,000 – 900,000 / yr | Stockholm |
| Game Artist | Mid-level | GBP 40,000 – 60,000 | London |
| Game Artist | Senior | GBP 60,000 – 85,000 | London |
| VFX Artist | Mid-level | EUR 38,000 – 55,000 | Barcelona / Berlin |
| UI Artist | Mid-level | GBP 42,000 – 62,000 | London |
| Lead Artist | Lead | GBP 75,000 – 100,000 | London |
Salary estimates based on Swedish salary transparency data and UK job market rates. Swedish income tax applies at approximately 30-52% (municipality + national). UK income tax applies. Microsoft stock and annual bonus are included in total compensation.
Portfolio Tips by Discipline
Game Artists (3D)
- Include at least one mobile-style or stylized piece — AAA-only portfolios read as out of scope
- Show characters and props at real mobile resolution in context, not just high-res renders
- Demonstrate clean, efficient topology — poly budgets at King are strict
- Style-matching ability is more valued than technical complexity
VFX Artists
- Show mobile-optimized effects alongside any complex PC/console work
- Include timing breakdowns and loop states, not just hero moments
- Performance-conscious design is a major differentiator in mobile VFX roles
- Unity experience is preferred over Unreal for King roles
UI Artists
- Show mockups at real mobile viewport sizes, not just large-canvas concepts
- Demonstrate understanding of interactive states — hover, pressed, locked, active
- Icon work and game HUD design are the most relevant portfolio pieces
- Motion and microinteraction specs alongside static UI work
Animators
- Idle loops and victory animations carry as much weight as cinematic acting
- Short, readable character personality moments are the King animation language
- Spine 2D experience is a strong bonus for 2D animation roles
- Show mobile frame budget awareness — overly complex rigs do not translate
Data-Informed Art Direction
King runs extensive A/B testing on art assets. A character design you create may be revised or replaced based on player engagement data rather than artistic feedback. This is a standard part of the mobile games culture and not specific to King. Artists who find data-informed iteration frustrating tend to be happier in premium or indie environments. Artists who find the challenge of making engaging art within tight constraints appealing are well-suited for King.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a game art job at King?
Apply through King’s careers portal at careers.king.com. Stockholm is the main art hiring hub, with additional roles in London, Barcelona, and Berlin. The process includes portfolio review, a recruiter screen, an art team interview, and a short task for some roles.
What art style does King use?
King’s games use bright, approachable visual styles optimized for small screen readability. Candy Crush Saga uses isometric match-3 candy art with high color saturation. Farm Heroes Saga uses soft, rounded character designs. Readability at thumbnail size is the primary constraint on all design decisions.
What salary does King pay game artists?
Stockholm salaries for mid-level game artists range from approximately SEK 500,000-700,000 per year. London mid-level artists typically earn GBP 40,000-65,000. King offers bonus and Microsoft stock since the Activision Blizzard acquisition.
Is King a good place to work as a game artist?
King offers stability and good work-life balance relative to the games industry. The art direction is tightly constrained by game metrics and player research. Artists focused on mobile casual game art craft find the environment well-suited. Those seeking creative freedom may prefer premium or indie studios.
Does King do paid art tests?
King typically uses short portfolio tasks rather than full paid art tests. Tasks are usually 1-3 days and unpaid for most roles. Senior roles may include a more structured brief. Confirm the task scope in the recruiter screen.
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