Salary & Negotiation

Directional Numbers (2026, Annual Base)

Compare roles within the same industry and location where possible. Base salary alone can miss differences in equity, bonuses, benefits, and working arrangements.

What Moves The Number

• Specialisation. Shader, pipeline, and rigging roles can be levelled differently. Compare the actual responsibilities with similar vacancies rather than assuming a fixed premium for the title.
• Relevant delivery experience. Shipped work can help demonstrate that you've dealt with production constraints. Explain your contribution and what you learned.
• The career ladder. Ask how the role is levelled and whether it sits within art, engineering, or a separate technical-art structure. That affects progression as well as the initial offer.
• Studio size and scope. Smaller teams may offer broader responsibilities, while larger teams may have more defined specialisations. Compare both the compensation and the work you'd be taking on.
• Remote. Post-2020 norms stuck unevenly: some studios pay location-adjusted, some pay one national band. Always ask which policy applies before you anchor on a number.

Research Comparable Roles

1. Posted salary ranges. Look for recent vacancies with comparable responsibilities, experience, and location. Check whether the range is base salary or total compensation.
2. The GDC State of the Industry survey and community salary sheets (the tech-art community runs periodic anonymous surveys - ask in the Tech-Artists.org Slack or the big TA Discords).
3. Ask for context. A trusted colleague may be happy to discuss the range they would expect for a role like yours. Give them enough detail about the location and responsibilities, and leave room for them to decline.

The Scripts

Prepare a few sentences before the conversation so you can focus on the offer. Adapt these to your situation:

When asked about expectations early in the process:

"I'd rather make sure we're a fit first - I'm confident we can land on
something fair if we get there. Can you share the band for the role?"

Ask for the budgeted band and how the role is levelled. If you need to give your range first, base it on comparable roles and explain what compensation it includes.

When the offer arrives, thank them and ask for time to review the details:

"Thank you - I'm genuinely excited about this. I'd like a couple of days
to review the full package. Can I come back to you Thursday?"

When making a counter-offer, give a clear figure and explain the basis:

"I'm excited to accept if we can get base to [number]. Comparable roles
I'm seeing are posted at [range], and given [shipped title / shader
specialization / the pipeline work in my portfolio], I think that's fair.
Everything else in the offer looks great."

Base a counter-offer on your research, the role's responsibilities, and what you need to accept. There isn't a percentage that fits every situation. Ask whether there's flexibility and be prepared to discuss the rest of the package.

Beyond Base Salary

If base salary is fixed, ask whether other parts of the package can change: a signing bonus, level, review date, remote arrangements, training budget, or leave. Decide which matter to you and get any agreement recorded in writing.