Animator, Gameplay - Unannounced Game Irvine (USA) Albany (USA) Blizzard Enterta

Overview

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 an Animator, you will animate a diverse range of compelling characters and creatures that support an engaging, dynamic, and satisfying gameplay experience. You’ll work with other artists, designers, and engineers to collaborate on creatively complex assignments to develop an inspiring creative vision, animation style, and production pipeline for this unannounced Blizzard game. Ultimately, you’re combining inspiring art with great gameplay while actively communicating and thriving on a small team. This role is anticipated to be a hybrid work position, with some on-site and some work-from-home. The home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

• Partner with the animation team to help develop a unique animation style and visual direction for the project.
• Collaborate with designers, tech artists, and engineers to integrate the animation assets into the engine, and identify and troubleshoot any technical issues that might arise.
• Partner with engineers and tech artists to help support and develop an effective animation pipeline for prototyping and a rapid iteration mindset for game development.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in gameplay animation.
• Strong understanding of the principles of animation and body mechanics.
• Experience animating characters and creatures in Maya (or equivalent 3D programs).
• Strong understanding of human and creature anatomy and a keen eye toward creatively representing their movements in believable ways.
• Experience with creating animation blend trees; previous experience with node-based animation editors.

Extra Points

• Professional experience working on AAA games for major platforms.
• Experience with prototype/quick iteration environments.
• Experience working with motion capture.
• Experience with basic modeling and rigging.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. 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 (continued)

We are one of the world’s largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies, home to beloved franchises including Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, Candy Crush, and Bubble Witch. Our diverse teams work in an inclusive environment, and we aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’.

Benefits

Benefits include medical, dental, vision, health savings or reimbursement accounts, dependent care 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, leaves, parental leave; mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and other voluntary programs. Relocation assistance may be available if required by the role. Eligibility to participate varies for part-time and temporary employees and interns.

Compensation

The standard base pay range for this role in the U.S. is $29.81 - $55.14 per hour. This range reflects base pay for new hires across all U.S. locations and depends on experience, performance, and location. The role may include incentive compensation; details are provided during the hiring process.