Lead Concept Artist - Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Team Name:

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 Lead Concept Artist to help craft a new, unannounced game for Blizzard. As a key creative leader on the development team, you will be responsible for defining and delivering high‑quality concept artwork that establishes the visual foundation of the project, including characters, environments, storyboards, and key art. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic, early‑development environment and navigating ambiguity with purpose while balancing creative ambition with production realities.

Location:

Irvine, CA. This role is anticipated to be a full‑time, hybrid work position, with some work on‑site and some work from home.

• Lead, manage, and mentor concept artists across multiple initiatives, including characters, environments, storyboards, and key art, while instilling best practices and scalable workflows.
• Partner closely with the Art Director, Production Designer, and Production to define, document, and uphold the project’s visual style and quality bar.
• Oversee the concept art process from initial brief through final approval, ensuring timely delivery within production constraints.
• Collaborate with design, art, and production partners to anticipate concept needs and align creative output with gameplay and narrative goals.
• Prepare clear and detailed concept briefs for internal and external artists.
• Provide consistent, actionable feedback to artists that supports creative direction, gameplay needs, and visual clarity.
• Lead by example through hands‑on contribution, including paint‑overs, benchmarks, and exploratory concept work when appropriate.
• Maintain and continuously improve concept art pipelines, processes, and workflows to increase efficiency and quality.
• Identify opportunities to improve visual quality, team productivity, and cross‑functional collaboration.
• Champion Blizzard Entertainment’s core values and contribute to a collaborative, inclusive development culture.

• Minimum of 10+ years of professional AAA concept art experience, or a combination of applicable training and related experience.
• Minimum of 2+ years of demonstrated leadership experience managing, mentoring, and developing teams of artists.
• Proven experience contributing to and shipping multiple AAA titles in a relevant concept art role.
• Strong track record of partnering effectively with art, design, and production teams.
• Ability to take initiative and lead creative efforts with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire others through an enthusiastic approach to game development and continuous skill growth.
• Comprehensive understanding of concept art creation for games, including characters, environments, props, and key art.
• Strong visual design, composition, color, lighting, and storytelling skills.
• Experience translating high‑level creative direction into clear, actionable visual targets.
• Familiarity with modern digital art tools, workflows, and production pipelines.
• Demonstrated understanding of how concept art supports downstream disciplines such as modeling, animation, VFX, and level design.
• A collaborative, team‑oriented approach to creative problem solving.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate visual ideas and provide constructive feedback.
• A mentorship mindset with a passion for developing artists and building healthy creative teams.
• Comfort operating in early development and R&D phases with evolving goals and constraints.
• A player‑focused mentality and passion for creating visually iconic game worlds.
• Extra point:
  Experience working on projects during early incubation or R&D phases.
• Extra point:
  Strong understanding of physical rendering, materials, and realism.
• Extra point:
  Passion for playing and studying a wide variety of video games.

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.

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 accommodation re