Tracer, Winston, Pharah, Hanzo… these are just a few of the memorable heroes that inhabit our world. Our talented artists put their heart and soul into bringing these unique and visually stunning characters to life, and their ranks are growing. We want to meet an Animator ready to step up and break new ground in the Overwatch universe.
Norman McLaren famously said, “Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.” Our Character Animators readily agree. Done right, movement communicates a character’s purpose, thoughts, and emotions. Consider the graceful yet deadly dance of a Demon Hunter, pirouetting as she cuts through the hordes of hell, or the belly-busting laughter from a drunken dwarf toppling from a stool. Despite wildly different personalities, each character and their story are brought to life through the creativity and skills of a talented animator.
An animator like you…Your skills as an artist, technician, and gamer will drive you forward into the thick of development. Extraordinary understanding of traditional and 3D animation techniques will drive the creative engine that will bring a bevy of new heroes, villains, and creatures to life. Your technical skills and ability to problem solve will come in handy as you work closely with gameplay engineers to develop the technology that powers your creations. As a gamer you’ll have a very close relationship with the game designers where you’ll build a perfect marriage of design and animation, resulting in a truly excellent game play experience, which is our main goal.
Do you want to be part of a close-knit, collaborative community of artists, engineers and designers whose sole goal is to make a truly immersive game experience? Then look no further, that's just a part of who we are.
Are you ready to take on the challenge of bringing our next heroes to life? If so, we'd like to hear from you!
Responsibilities
- Develop, maintain and craft animations for real time game assets
- Assist designers and engineers with gameplay prototypes
- Partner with lead animator to ensure timely completion of character assets at the desired quality bar
- Serve as an active participant in team art discussions, critiques and reviews
Requirements
- A minimum of 3 years’ experience in rigging/skinning characters in Maya, or similar software
- Strong knowledge of character kinematics, deformations, and topology
- High proficiency in character Skinning, Physics, and Technical Workflows
- Python or Maya scripting experience
Pluses
- Experience generating cloth / hair rigs and create art directed shot simulations
- Thorough knowledge of layout, modeling, rigging, simulations, and animation tools and workflows currently used in the industry
- Strong communications skills
- Knowledge on subjects such as Maya tool development and pipeline design
- Experience in other programming languages
- Passion for Blizzard games
- Degree in Computer Science
- Experience in Destruction, VFX, Material Creation, etc.
Submission / Portfolio Instructions
- Resume
- Cover Letter (optional)
- Demo Reel and Shot Breakdown showing rigging / simulation and technical proficiency
- Only online submissions will be accepted
Blizzard Entertainment is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.