Internship Opportunities at Ancient Well Entertainment

About Us

AWE was started by Christopher Rakkestad in 2023, and consists of a group of 6 childhood friends with a shared love of games, history and fantasy themes. After we won and took home 100.000 SEK from the Great Summer Pitch hosted by The Great Journey, we founded the studio to work on Defenders of the Fjord.

Ancient Well Entertainment is an indie game studio fueled by Nordic folklore, humor, and heavy metal vibes. We are currently working on our first two titles: Defenders of the Fjord, a Nordic mythology-inspired third-person tower defense game, and: Farmfall Rush [working title!]—a traditional tower defense set in 1600s Norway, steeped in humor and historical quirks with targeted release for late 2025.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for an animator and VFX artist to create in game animations and effects for enemies and towers for Farmfall Rush [working title]. We’re approaching our first early alpha build with the game, and by the time we would be taking on interns, our main focus will be adding content and polish. During this time, there is a need for a great number of snappy, readable VFX and humorous, engaging animations. There is even room to work on in-engine cutscenes.

Available Positions

• VFX Artist (1-2): Skilled in creating optimized stylized ability FX using Niagara, with emphasis on expressiveness, readability and timing.
• Animator: Focused on character animation in Blender with implementation in Unreal Engine 5. Additional skills in environment animation (for buildings etc.) is desired.

Preferred Skills and Interests for all positions

• Proficiency in Unreal Engine 5.
• Proficiency in Perforce.
• Good sketching/drawing skills
• A love for strategy games and the fantasy/historical genres.
• A collaborative spirit, good communication skills and enthusiasm for indie development.

What We Offer

• Full Game Credit: Add a completed game to your portfolio.
• Growth and Mentorship: Weekly feedback and mentoring in your discipline.
• Portfolio Development: Dedicated time each week to refine your portfolio.
• Skill Building: Opportunities to learn and enhance your abilities.
• Team Experience: Work closely with an indie studio, gaining insight into the game development process.

Location

The studio is based in Karlstad, Sweden, but you will be working remotely. Expect to work independantly throughout the day, with feedback delivered during the evenings.

Who Should Apply

This internship is perfect for those who:

• Really want to see a production from start to finish and put a released game on their CV.
• Are motivated by independance as well as being a teamplayer.
• Are eager to work in the indie game industry and learn more about the Great Journey developer community in Karlstad.
• Are considering starting their own studio or game project, and want insight into how that works, challenges and opportunities.
• Want a meaningful, hands-on experience in game development.

Who Should Not Apply

• All you want is to work in AAA, and you want it now.
• Your top priority is to get hired at the LiA company.