Creative Engineer (Unreal Engine) - Volunteer Role

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Rustling Leaves Games is an indie studio focused on creating emotional, narrative-driven interactive experiences. We’re a small, collaborative team building thoughtful and atmospheric games, and we’re looking for a Creative Engineer to help define the mood, tone, and visual language of our environments.

Role Overview

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As a Creative Engineer, you’ll be responsible for shaping the visual and cinematic presentation of the game. This includes lighting, level layout/blockouts, environmental storytelling, and working with Unreal Engine’s cinematic tools to bring scenes to life. You’ll collaborate closely with writers, designers, and technical engineers to create immersive, emotionally resonant spaces.

This is a volunteer role, but we strive to create a professional, supportive, and growth-focused environment.

What You’ll Do

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• Design, light, and optimize environments in Unreal Engine
• Build level blockouts and contribute to overall level flow and pacing
• Help establish the game’s visual tone, mood, and atmosphere
• Create or support cinematic sequences using Unreal’s Sequencer
• Collaborate with writers and designers to match storytelling intent
• Work with technical engineers to refine tools, pipelines, and in-engine workflows
• Provide creative insight and feedback to help shape the game experience

What We’re Looking For

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• Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine 5
• Strong understanding of lighting principles, mood setting, and visual composition
• Experience with level design (blockouts, layout, pacing)
• A personal computer that meets the recommended Unreal Engine hardware specs
• Familiarity with basic cinematics or Unreal Engine Sequencer
• Ability to communicate clearly and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team
• A love for atmospheric, exploration-focused, or narrative-driven games

Bonus Points

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• Experience with post-processing, LUTs, or creating custom lighting profiles
• Knowledge of environmental storytelling techniques
• Experience with world-building, set dressing, or visual scripting
• Familiarity with performance optimization for environments
• Background in cinematography, photography, or film production

Our Commitment

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At Rustling Leaves Games, we are a volunteer-based, non-commission studio, but that doesn’t limit our ambition or our dedication to the people who join us. Our mission is to help every team member grow professionally in the video game industry while contributing to meaningful, story-driven experiences.

We aim to cultivate a studio built on passion, drive, communication, and mutual respect. Diverse perspectives lead to richer worlds and better stories, and we are fully committed to fostering a welcoming, inclusive, and supportive environment for everyone who becomes part of our team.

Together, we strive to create a place where creatives, developers, and storytellers can learn, collaborate, and build something truly special.