Principal Environment Artist - Unannounced Game

at  Blizzard Entertainment

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 Environment Artist to help us craft Blizzard’s next great game. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for delivering high-quality environmental artwork through artistic and technical expertise. You understand how to effectively build, integrate, and optimize a variety of Environment asset types as well as how to support the gameplay experience. 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.

EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years of experience in AAA environment art.
• Confirmed experience, having shipped multiple major titles in a relevant role.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• Experience working with a AAA game engine with a deep understanding of implementation and integration into the pipeline.
• Comprehensive understanding of all aspects of environment art creation including significant proficiency in industry-standard 3D workflows.
• A portfolio with examples and detailed breakdowns, showcasing your practical work.
• Strong understanding of authoring PBR content.
• Experience developing pipelines and collaborating to develop technology.

EXPERIENCE

• Experience working through early development R&D phases of a project is a plus.
• Leadership or management experience is useful but not required.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• 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.

• 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 environmental 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 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 environmental art creation