ESCAPEMENT

a cultivation RPG — in development in the Blue Mountains, NSW

I'm Jake, a solo developer in the Blue Mountains, NSW, building Escapement — a cultivation RPG set in a world of water clocks, immortals, and cockatoos. Fate has long since shackled you with its decree: you are going to die young. What will you do with the little time you have left?

Solo-developed in Godot. More here when there's more to show.

Now hiring — Australia-based game artists

Posted August 2026 · paid concept test · $50/hr AUD · any style · remote

I'm commissioning paid concept tests from a small shortlist of artists working in deliberately different styles — the game's art style gets chosen by choosing its artists.

For calibration, the art I love: Ori and the Blind Forest, Hades, Sea of Stars, Disco Elysium. Shortlisted artists get the full taste brief (what I love and why) and world brief.

The test — a paid concept commission

• Three quick, rough concept sketches: two named characters and a creature.
• Rough, uncoloured sketches — concept work, not finished illustration.
• $150 AUD fixed — $75 on signing, $75 on delivery (when the IP transfers).
• Scoped to roughly 2–3 hours of work · ~5-day window · one revision round included.
• A short plain-English contract signed first: IP assigns on final payment; you keep portfolio rights once the game announces.

The gig it leads to

• Roughly $15,000 AUD in the first funded round — 300 hours at $50/hr: character portraits, location scenes, key art, and an icon set.
• That first round isn't the whole plan — as more funding lands, more art passes follow, and I'd rather keep working with artists I already trust.
• One artist doing everything, or the budget split across specialists — character, environment, concept, icon. Generalists and specialists equally welcome.
• Strong applicants I don't select now stay on file (with your permission) for later roles.
• Contract work from around the end of 2026. I'm applying to Screen Australia's Emerging Gamemakers Fund this round; if that misses, I'll be pursuing state programs and other funding paths — I will find the funding one way or another.

Requirements

• Australia-based (a funding requirement — the money must be spent in Australia).
• A portfolio of strong work in any style. 2D game or illustration work is a plus, and excellent 3D portfolios are welcome too. Tell me your specialty if you have one.
• Comfortable signing IP assignment and a warranty that delivered work is your own hand (no generative AI in deliverables).

The process

Application → video-call interviews with strong applicants → first commissioning picks on Wednesday 12 August from the interviews so far → paid concept tests (~5-day window per test) → strong results lead to further paid work now, and the funded engagement when the money lands. Interviewed artists hear back within a week of the 12th. Applications stay open after the 12th — reviewed as they arrive until the roles are filled.

To apply

Email jobs@escapementgame.com with your portfolio link, your location, your usual rates, your specialty (if any), and a couple of sentences on how you'd approach an original cultivation-fantasy world. No cover letter needed. Questions before applying are welcome at the same address.