Bad Tasty is a small UK-based indie studio. It is mostly me (Nate), working alongside a number of contractors and freelancers, and The Bagman is Bad Tasty's first game. It’s an authentic 16-bit point-and-click survival horror game, being published by Glowstick Entertainment.

We’re aiming to release the game on PC via Steam, Xbox, PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, mobile, and of course the Sega MegaDrive/Genesis.

You can see the game and download the demo on Steam.

The role

I’m looking for a pixel animator who can also lend a hand with general pixel-art work. This is to help bring The Bagman through the final stages of production.

You’ll be working closely with me through briefs and regular conversations, basically adding that extra level needed to get the game over the line.

This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys working within an established visual style, is comfortable using limited colour palettes, and can bring character and personality to small-scale pixel animation.

The limitations are important, due to it also targeting retro hardware as it runs on The Sega Megadrive.

Animation will be the main focus, but the work may include:

• Creating 16-bit character animations.
• Producing 32×32 inventory icons within a limited palette.
• Making adjustments to existing animations.
• Modifying and polishing existing artwork.
• Other general pixel-art tasks that come up during production.

Please only apply if

• Your portfolio clearly demonstrates both pixel art and animation.
• You’re comfortable working in the established style of The Bagman.
• You can work effectively within limited colour palettes and technical restrictions.
• You can legally contract with a UK business and receive payment through a standard supported payment method.
• You genuinely have room in your schedule to take on the work.
  • I completely understand that freelancers normally have several clients on the go.
  • I’m simply looking for someone who has enough availability to actively complete the agreed tasks rather than trying to squeeze them into an already packed schedule.
• You are ok with animating pixel horror/gore related animations. There will be over the top death animations / body horror animations.

Helpful additional skills

It would be especially useful if you can:

• Produce quick sketches and rough iterations so we can bounce ideas back and forth.
• Work independently once a brief has been agreed.
• Give reliable estimates for individual animations or batches of work.
• Communicate clearly about progress, questions and potential delays. Issues happen, and I’ve found as long as we talk about them early we can deal with anything.

Payment

This will be paid, task-based contract/freelance work. Knowing your usual rates or approximate cost per animation will help enormously.

As part of your application, it would be useful if you could provide a rough estimate for:

• An eight-frame walk cycle for a character sprite approximately 30×64 pixels.
• A more complex character animation of your choosing.
• Creating 32x32 sprites.

This can be expressed as an estimated number of hours alongside your hourly rate, or as a flat cost per animation. THIS IS NOT a binding quote. I’m mainly trying to understand whether I have the budget to afford you, as I don’t want to waste anyones time.

How to apply

Because it’s just me processing applications, I’ll primarily be reviewing portfolios and the information you send and won’t be able to go much further.

Please include:

• A link to your portfolio.
• Clear examples of both pixel art and pixel animation.
• Your rates or usual pricing structure.
• The three rough animation estimates described above.
• Your current availability.
• Your country and time zone.
• Anything else you think I should know.

If your portfolio contains a mixture of different kinds of work, please point me towards the most relevant examples so I don’t accidentally miss them.

The process

• Post the job. Done, hurray!
• Leave applications open for approximately 1-2 weeks depending on how active it is.
• Review the applications and get back to the strongest candidates as soon as I can.
• Select the right artist, send over the contract and, if everyone is happy, we sign it and crack on.

Reviewing applications may take me a week or so. The last time I put out a call, I received a large number of submissions that used other people’s work/scams, so unfortunately I need to verify portfolios carefully. I will try and get back to everyone once a candidate is selected.

We can communicate through Discord, but if that isn’t your preference, I’m open to other options as long as we can talk back and forth easily and effectively.

Contract length

There should be a minimum of work for over four months, potentially extending for another couple of months depending on the amount of work left.

This could also lead to future work. Once The Bagman ships, I’d like to continue working with people I already know and trust.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and hopefully apply!

No generative AI

Do not apply with AI-generated portfolio work, and do not use generative AI to produce work for the project. I want to work with real artists/animators not a prompt.