Lead Environment Artist | Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Team Name:

Job Title:

Lead Environment Artist | Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Requisition :

R027773

Job Description:

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

We are looking for a Lead Environment Artist to help us define and craft Blizzard's next great game. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for delivering high-quality Environment work through artistic and technical knowledge, team building, and leadership. You understand how to effectively build, integrate, and optimize a variety of Environment content that supports gameplay and hits iconic visual standards.

You are comfortable operating in a startup environment, navigating through ambiguity with purpose.

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

Responsibilities

* Working closely with the Art Director, you will collaborate with designers, artists, code, Materials, VFX and Lighting departments to define and deliver game environments to a world class standard.

* Use your expertise in Environment Art creation to guide our working practices from iterative prototyping to final best-in-class execution.

* Create artifacts (content creation briefs, presentations) to guide the work of internal and external artists.

* Directly contribute to and oversee the practical work of taking Environments from concept to completion.

* Remain current on industry trends including advancement in commercial game engines and workflow efficiencies.

* Own and drive the most creatively challenging artwork, demonstrating the high bar for your department.

* Proactively identify risks and propose solutions within the area of Environment Art creation.

* Level up your team's abilities through mentorship of skills, process, and artistic techniques.

Requirements

* 10+ years of experience in AAA Environment Art.

* 2 + years of management/leadership experience.

* Proven experience, having shipped multiple major titles in a relevant role.

* Experience working with a AAA game engine with stra ong understanding of implementation and integration into the pipeline.

* Comprehensive understanding of all aspects of Environment Art creation including strong proficiency in industry-standard 3D workflows.

* A portfolio, with examples and detailed breakdowns, showcasing your work.

* Strong understanding of authoring P  content.

* Experience developing pipelines and collaborating with Engineers and Tech Artists to develop technology.

* 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.

Extra Points

* Experience working through early development R&D phases of a project is a plus.

* Solid understanding of game art creation outside of Environment Art (e.g. Lighting, VFX, Characters, Animation, Rendering).

* An interest in Photography and Cinema.

* Experience creating and handling photogrammetry data.

* Expertise in 3D composition, form, balance, and color theory.

* Passion for playing a variety of video games.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and Star Craft, 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 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 ,…