Lead Character Artist Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

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At Blizzard we craft genre-defining games and legendary worlds for all to share. Through unparalleled creativity and storytelling we create immersive universes and iconic characters that are beloved across platforms borders backgrounds and generations - only made possible by building a work environment that nurtures the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people.

As Lead Character Artist you will play a crucial role in the delivery and quality of our character artwork by leading a team of organic and hard-surface artists. You will collaborate closely with the art director game designers technical directors and other team members to bring our world to life with compelling and memorable characters.

This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position with some work on-site and some work-from-home. The potential home studio for this role is Irvine CA.

Responsibilities

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours so this role includes but is not limited to the following responsibilities:

• Oversee the creation of characters that align with the games art direction narrative and gameplay requirements from concept to completion.
• Work closely with artists and outsource partners to provide clear direction feedback and guidance to ensure the quality and consistency of character art throughout development.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including game designers writers and animators to ensure that character art effectively supports the overall vision and goals of the project.
• Demonstrate a world-class bar for character art through your own practical work and by guiding the work of others throughout development.
• Stay up to date with industry trends techniques and best practices in character art and contribute to the continuous improvement of art pipelines and workflows.
• Give and receive constructive feedback in a collaborative environment and iterate on character designs to achieve the desired visual impact and gameplay functionality.
• Communicate effectively with team members stakeholders and external partners to ensure alignment on artistic goals timelines and deliverables.

Qualifications

• 12 years of experience crafting video game character art.
• Proven experience having shipped at least one AAA project as a creative leader.
• Management and mentoring experience.
• Proven track record of delivering clear and consistent visual feedback that elevates the teams work.
• Strong understanding of PBR.
• A team-oriented approach to your work understanding the importance of collaboration and partnering with all departments.
• The ability to inspire others with an enthusiastic approach to game development and improving core skills.
• Self-motivated ability to lead initiatives.
• Strong portfolio showcasing proficiency in 3D character artwork.
• Proficiency in industry-standard art tools such as ZBrush Maya or equivalent software.
• Strong understanding of anatomy and mechanical design.
• Knowledge of 3D modeling texturing and rigging.

Nice to Have

• Passion for games and a deep appreciation for the role of art in interactive storytelling.
• Experience working through early development R&D phases of a project is a plus.
• Familiarity with AAA game engines.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft Overwatch Diablo and StarCraft Blizzard Entertainment Inc. () a division of Activision Blizzard which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industrys most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Xbox PlayStation Nintendo Switch iOS and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard Inc. is one of the worlds largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty World of Warcraft Overwatch Diablo Candy Crush and Bubble Witch. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical emotional and financial well-being for Every World - weve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification when in fact they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position please email your request to General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin gender sexual orientation gender identity age marital status veteran status or disability status among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical emotional and financial well-being for Every World - weve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical dental vision health savings account or health reimbursement account healthcare spending accounts dependent care spending accounts life and AD&D insurance disability insurance;
• 401(k) with Company match tuition reimbursement charitable donation matching;
• Paid holidays and vacation paid sick time floating holidays compassion and bereavement leaves parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs fitness programs free and discounted games and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability legal service ID protection rental insurance and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting the U.S. the standard base pay range for this role is $116800.00 - $216000.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately your specific range and offer will be based on several factors including relevant experience performance and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this roles range details for your local geography during the hiring addition to a competitive base pay employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates new hire compensation is negotiable.