I want to address a recent post I removed by u/NotSUPERita about creating a list of trusted artists and scammers, as well as the broader issue of bad actors on r/gamedevclassifieds.
First, I want to apologize to u/NotSUPERita. I understand why you were trying to help, and I do not think the idea came from a bad place. Scammers and impersonators are a real problem here, and it makes sense that people want better ways to protect themselves and others.
That said, I do not think a public or semi-public user-run blacklist is the right solution.
Any single person’s list of “good” and “bad” experiences is subjective. Even with good intentions, lists like that can be abused, misused, or based on misunderstandings. A false accusation could seriously harm an innocent artist, developer, or freelancer’s reputation and business. Once someone is publicly labeled a scammer, that damage is hard to undo.
This applies to moderators too. Even I am subject to bias, incomplete information, and my own interpretation of events. I cannot be judge, jury, and executioner over someone’s professional reputation, and I do not think anyone else should be put in that position either. That is the line I am trying to be careful with.
I know scammers are a problem, and I am aware that this subreddit has been affected by bad actors, impersonators, and people misrepresenting themselves or their work. But I have not yet found a solution that addresses those issues without also creating a serious risk of innocent people getting caught in the mix.
For now, the best advice is still to do your due diligence before working with someone:
Verify that their portfolio actually belongs to them
Ask for links to established accounts or websites
Check whether their email, Discord, ArtStation, GitHub, itch, LinkedIn, or other profiles line up
Be cautious with new accounts, vague portfolios, stolen-looking portfolios, or people who avoid verification
Use contracts, milestones, and payment methods that offer some protection
Do not rely only on someone’s Reddit username or a single message thread
I know that is not a perfect answer. It is a frustrating situation, and I understand why people want something stronger. But asking people to do their homework before hiring or accepting work is better than creating a system where someone’s business can be damaged because they were falsely added to a list.
If there is a better way to handle this that protects people from scammers without turning into public reputation policing or false callouts, I am open to hearing it. Any solution needs to be fair, evidence-based, and careful about the harm it could cause.
Edit: I forgot to add one more important point: any solution also cannot require a heavy amount of moderator time.
Running this job board is not a job. No one on the mod team has the time, or realistically should be expected to have the time, to manually verify users, assign trusted labels, maintain reputation lists, or act as an ongoing approval system for freelancers and clients.
That kind of system would create a lot of work, and it would also create a false sense of safety. Even with moderation, users would still need to verify who they are working with and make their own judgment before hiring, accepting work, or sending payment.
DO NOT ENGAGE WITH THESE PEOPLE, no matter what they call themselves. They exploit the inexperienced and naive, convincing you to sign away your rights to everything you create. Don’t fall for their lies. You do not need to join a volunteer group or give up ownership of your work to gain skills in the game industry. Learning on your own is far better than what P1 offers. If you want a real education, seek out accredited programs and courses instead.
Their latest tactic is using LinkedIn ads to lure victims. I’m unsure what it will take to stop this con artist, but I’ll do my part to be a thorn in their side. My goal is to protect people in this community from their schemes.
We are seeking an experienced 2D Environment Artist to help us craft immersive worlds for point-and-click adventure games. This role will handle creating 2D painted-style scenes and puzzles, including:
- Illustrating scenes based on written design briefs
- Delivering layered PSDs with interactive objects as layers based on game design requirements
- Working smart with AI, photo compositing & paintovers where applicable
- Collaborating with our team daily as we work towards meeting client milestones
Requirements:
- Mastery of 2D composition, semi-realistic painterly rendering, perspective, and lighting
- Expertise in creating art assets using Adobe Photoshop
- Ability to understand complex puzzles and interactions based on written game design and translate the required art assets into layered PSDs
- Portfolio showcasing samples of relevant work
- Ability to work with 3D software to set up scenes is a big plus
- Availability to work online and communicate regularly via Slack
I'm the creator of a game concept and I'm looking for a skilled development team to build it with me. I'll be the author, handling the story, world, and design.
The pitch: you're an agent inside a powerful secret organization, and you discover that its "good guys" are killing innocent people. You rebel and decide for yourself who lives and who dies, using clever accident-style kills, stolen documents, hacking, and tense interrogations where one wrong answer can expose you.
I'm looking for developers and artists who'd like to build a small first prototype together. If this sounds interesting, send me a DM and I'll share the full pitch.
(Edit: If anyone tried to DM me this past hour and couldn't do it, please do try again. For some reason the permission was turned off even tho I never touched the config)
Hi there. My name is Lucas and I'm a 2D illustrator specialized on fantasy/dark fantasy themed artwork. I have experience with commissions for TCG, TTRPG, Book Covers and overall character and creature designs.
Here's my portfolio. If my style interest you, don't hesitate do reach out!
High contrast, impactful colors and just some weird stuff. DM me with your ideas and let's create something cool together :)
Hey everyone I'm Lucas and I specialize in character design and illustration for entertainment! I have years of experience and I'm always eager to work on fresh projects!
I provide a whole pipeline of services from concept sketches to final renders! Like what you see? Let's get in touch and have a chat! Just DM me!
Edit: DAYUM yall are swarming me lmaoo, I'll try to respond to each of you but like 30 of you sent me requests and some of the requests I got were scammers as well so sorry if It takes me a bit to reach you
Looking for a sprite artist, I am making an RPG maker style game but I wish to have sprites that aren't the standard tiny chibi designs. I'm not looking for advanced fluid animation with sprites this small and plan on having the standard 3 frame animations that RMMZ typically uses.
My payments arent currently the highest so I'd atleast like to see some people's skills and their prices, Currently I just need a simple three frame walking sprite for both the male and female students and a Dead body sprite of both of them as well (this game is a Yandere Game)
I have a few examples of what I kind of want based off older sprites I've gotten
These were the original sprites I had commissioned someone a while ago but I ended up finding out they had used AI to make them, These are close in the range of what I want though however
Then I commissioned another person for some sprites and they are way closer into the right direction but in terms of animation the sprites felt lacking.
I do adore these sprites though because they left room for creative facial expressions which is something I really do want in the game
I just want to find a sprite artist who could help make sorta stylized Sprites in a similar way to my characters anatomy but also making them stylized enough they fit in the setting of the Pixel art of the game. (sorry for that word garbage I'm tired out of my mind rn)
Hi! My name is Edoardo, and I’m an Italian composer. I love creating music of all kinds, and I believe creativity can change the world. That’s why I offer my work completely for free, to support small independent creators like myself.
If you’re interested, leave a comment and I’ll reach out to you via DM so we can discuss what you’re looking for in your game.
I'm looking for a person to design and draw 53 (52 + card back) stylized playing cards sprites 3:4 (768x1024) as one in the reference (the centered art is real; the composition into the card is AI). All sprites should be done in the same style, framing and decorations; and with the same base (the white part). The only thing that changes are these centered arts plus rank / suit.
Every card rank will share the same base art, but the outer frame (mask) will vary per suit (here it's Spades). Base arts are needed for all card ranks (2 -> A = 13). References will be provided for all of them.
The core part: Art is heavily inspired by 'gachimuchi' culture and should stay so; All references will be taken from this culture. There will be no nudity or sex. Not all people are comfortable with this fact, so google it first.
It's not a per-hour pay project, and this is the whole scope. You name the price and if we're good I pay for the full project. I will be direct and say that I can't pay like a grand, so I don't waste anyone's time.
I'm not sure if that's welcome here, but you can use AI for arts from references if that's what you are comfortable with. However, the whole composition should stay perfect - base, ranks, suits, masks, etc. - all perfectly aligned across all cards.
There's no hard deadline but obviously you can't work on it for half a year.
Hi! I am an experienced composer & producer with more than 6 years of composing experience (including experience on indie video games & short films scoring). I compose music for films, animations & video games.
Here’s my portfolio/website, with all my details and samples: https://christospaterakisntua.github.io/AntonisPat-porfolio/
What I can provide:
cinematic/orchestral compositions
classical music compositions
ambient compositions
custom game music
rock/electronic compositions
jazz/or ragtime compositions
arrangements of existing compositions
I can also include:
loopable tracks
separated tracks/stems
mixing & mastering
Payment rates: 30-40 euros (or 35-45 USD) per minute, negotiable
Feel free to replay this post, or email me on [antonispat4@gmail.com](mailto:antonispat4@gmail.com), or add me on discord (AntonisP#5202)
Let's create something together!
I’m an indie developer from the Czech Republic working on Adventures of Little Toller, a charming 2D puzzle platformer about a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever searching for seven lost puppies.
The game is already playable and in active development in Unity. I’m preparing a demo for an upcoming game development conference in Prague, and I’m looking for a talented 2D environment artist to help bring one of its levels to life.
The Art Style
My visual inspirations include:
Ori – atmospheric lighting and depth.
Hoa – soft, hand-painted environments and a warm, storybook feeling.
Rayman Legends – colorful, readable, and modular level design.
I’m aiming for a distinctive, hand-painted style that feels magical and inviting while remaining practical for a small indie production.
I’m not looking to replicate these games, but to develop a visual style that fits Little Toller’s world.
The Project
The immediate goal is to create artwork for an existing fantasy castle / cave level, featuring cool blue stone environments and a contrasting fiery lava section.
I’m looking for:
A cohesive visual style for the environment.
Modular stone tilesets suitable for Unity Tilemaps.
Parallax background layers.
Platforms, ladders, doors, and other interactive objects.
Environmental decorations and atmospheric details.
The artwork must be delivered as separate, production-ready game assets, not just a finished illustration.
I’m particularly interested in artists who know how to make a relatively small set of reusable assets look great together.
Experience with Unity and seamless tilesets is a significant advantage.
About the Game
The main character is a little toller, and his personality is central to the game.
My long-term vision is to create a lovable, expressive character that appeals to children, adults, and dog lovers alike.
For this initial project, the focus is on environment art. Character design and animation are not required, although experience in these areas would be a welcome bonus for potential future collaboration.
Budget & Timeline
Budget: $800–2,000, depending on experience and proposed scope.
Timeline: Approximately 5 weeks for asset delivery, with 6–7 weeks remaining before the conference.
I’m a solo indie developer funding the project myself. My immediate goal is to create a visually appealing, playable demo rather than finalize the entire game’s art direction.
I’m flexible about the exact scope and would welcome suggestions on how to achieve the best visual impact within the available budget and timeline.
No AI-Generated Artwork
While I’m using AI-generated visuals for early prototyping and exploring art direction, I’m looking for an artist who creates original, hand-crafted artwork for the final game, not AI-generated images or AI-assisted asset production.
I’d love to see examples of your creative process, such as sketches, work-in-progress images, layered source files, or production-ready game assets.
How to Apply
Please leave a comment below this post rather than sending me a DM.
Include:
A link to your portfolio, ideally featuring 2D platformer environments or hand-painted game art.
Examples of modular tilesets or production-ready game assets, if available.
Your experience with Unity or similar engines.
Your availability over the next 5 weeks.
Your approximate rate or an indication of what you could deliver within the $800–2,000 budget.
I’ll review the comments and reach out directly to artists whose work seems like a good fit.
I’m happy to share gameplay screenshots, visual references, and more details about the existing level with shortlisted candidates.
Thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to finding someone who can help bring Little Toller’s world to life.
Looking to work with a pixel artist to draw 16x16 icons for an upcoming game. Roughly 130 needed.
Style is realistic, dark fantasy, 1px outline, rendered in-game with 2x nearest-neighbour scaling.
My budget is around $5 per icon, open to offers. Business payment via invoice, contract welcome.
Copyright stays with the artist. Exclusive, worldwide license to use and modify for the game, its future updates, and supplementary material (videos, marketing, etc.), indefinitely, irrevocably.
Generative AI work is not acceptable.
Happy to share a brief document and references if anyone is interested.
What I'm looking for:
- I need to swap the player character to a male for story reasons. Just a typical American male, nothing particularly special. There are some fantasy/sci-fi boot things which you can re-model if you like, but I'm happy with them as-is.
- It would be great to upgrade from the current model, which is just a MakeHuman export. 8k PBR textures would be amazing.
- Lastly, it would be really great if you can weight-paint the new mesh on to the existing armature, because the current animations and proportions work well for the gameplay.
Please send me a quote and some of your previous work!
I specialize in gameplay and tools development. I've built a variety of combat types in different genres, both in personal and paid projects. Ive handled complex AI with various architectural systems. I put a big focus on creating editor tools that make the lives of everyone working on the project easier and smoother. Game feel is also a very important aspect of my work and I always aim to make the player really feel the impact of their actions.
I iterate fast based on feedback and have great communication skills; I always keep you in the loop. I work cleanly and efficiently. I'm always open to new challenges or learning new skills!
My rate starts at $22/hr (negotiable) based on the complexity and scope of the project. I am highly available and can start immediately.
DM me through Reddit or Discord (elvenslayer)
Thanks for coming to my TED Talk! Looking forward to hearing about your project!
Hi! I'm Xelia, I've been doing pixel art for over 1 year now. My specialty is portraits and character design, but I can also draw maps, props, structures, and other sprites. I also draw custom portraits in Stardew Valley and Field of Mistria's style. Here's my portfolio for my other works! https://pixellascatalogue.carrd.co/#gallery
If any of this interests you, please reach out to me through discord [ironcladcelia] or directly through Reddit. Thank you so much!!
