Principal VFX Artist - Unannounced Game

Your Mission

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 cultivates the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people.

We are looking for a Principal VFX Artist to help craft a new, unannounced game for Blizzard . Our team values creativity, collaboration, and a dedication to quality, and we are searching for contributors aligned with our core Blizzard values to add to our team of dedicated game makers.

As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for delivering appealing VFX that showcase gameplay. If you are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose.

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.

What you bring to the table :

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

Apply fundamental visual design and animation principles to storytelling through VFX development.

Leverage a variety of tools for real-time VFX creation, including Adobe Creative Suite, Maya, Unity, and in-game FX systems.

Collaborate with design, applying your keen eye for lighting, value, color, details, and motion to deliver visuals that emphasize gameplay and delight our players.

Construct your VFX from the ground up with a stable technical foundation, including initial setup, implementation, and troubleshooting of VFX in Unity.

Collaborate with engineers to create VFX in a performant and sustainable manner that allows for usability and a high-quality gameplay experience.

Bring a positive attitude paired with the ability to give and receive feedback that elevates the excellence of those around you and their work.

Enjoy a passion for games every day. Creating gameplay moments that excite and inspire yourself, the team around you, and our players.

Minimum Requirements

Experience

12+ years of experience, making real-time visual effects in a professional capacity for games.

Expert-level proficiency using modern game development platforms like Unity or Unreal Engine

Knowledge & Skills

A proven understanding of VFX Pipelines from concept to completion. Strong stylized art skills and technical aptitude for implementation.

Practical expertise of the Adobe Creative Suite, Maya, or comparable 3D package, and Unity demonstrated in your work.

Highly creative and technically minded with the ability to provide solutions to design, creative, and technical issues.

Key Attributes

Self-motivated, well-developed interpersonal skills, and a confirmed collaborative nature.

Excellent communication skills applied to receiving and delivering clear feedback.

Shipped AAA game title(s) as a Principal VFX artist or equivalent educational and practical experience.

Extra Points

Experience

Experience with creating real-time VFX on a variety of platforms, including mobile.

Experience with advanced VFX tooling such as Houdini, Substance, Ember Gen, etc.

Knowledge & Skills

Technical skills that encompass shader authoring, scripting, or working with visual scripting tools such as Playmaker or Blueprint.

Expertise in 3D, Illustration, concept, or other creative disciplines applied to game development.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), 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 industry’s 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 Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's 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 innovative 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’ - we’ve 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 accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. 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’ - we’ve 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 https : / / www.benefitsforeveryworld.com / .

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $116,800.00 - $216,000.00 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 role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In 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.