Senior Character Animator

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Job Description:

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 a Senior Character Animator you will be responsible for the creation of 3D animations, helping us craft Blizzard’s next great game.
You will have the opportunity to be a part of an exciting art team, bringing to life many iconic characters in both core gameplay and full performance animations.

You will be partnering with experienced character artists, technical animators, and gameplay designers to create outstanding gameplay moments that will be experienced by millions of players around the world. The role will be complex, creative, and fun with loads of opportunities to hone your skills and try new things.

We’re a close but inclusive team that welcomes new members with open arms. We care about each other, the games we build and how we create them. We can't wait to meet you!

Responsibilities

• Work closely with the art director, lead animator and animation team to deliver high-quality game animations in the required style for your game.
• Support animation production planning, ensuring content is delivered according to the needs of the game.
• Partner with character artists, technical animators, gameplay designers, and animation programmers to ensure characters and their animations are delivered to a specification that offers outstanding character performance within the required technical budgets.
• Ensure your animations are designed and delivered into the game in a way that is tidy, optimized, and scalable for the game to become a long standing, scalable live service.
• Support the mentoring and development of more junior animators as required.

• Support any outsourced animation efforts as required.

Minimum Requirements

• Experience in creating and implementing high-quality gameplay and performance animations in a wide range of styles.
• Experience in and understanding of how animation fits into the production of game development in collaboration with other crafts and fields, especially 3D modeling, rigging, and gameplay design.

• Experience in framing performance with cameras, timing, and composition.

Knowledge & Skills

• Strong understanding of all principles of animation.
• Skilled in getting the best movement from a 3D model, working with modeling and tech animation to achieve high standards of articulation and deformation.
• An understanding of technical animation, rigging, 3D modeling, and topology and the process of implementing animation into a game in a tidy, structured, and optimized way.

• In-depth knowledge of industry standard software for the creation of 3D animation and any industry relevant game engine where animation can be implemented into game.

Key Attributes

• A passion for making high-quality games in a cross-discipline, collaborative team.
• A natural problem solver, keen to do what’s right for the animation and the game as a whole.
• A proactive contributor, keen to learn and develop your skills and to share your knowledge with the team.

• Excellent skills in communication and organization.

Nice to have

• Experience in working with outsourcing for animation.
• Abilities in 2D animation and/or motion design.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), 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 Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc., is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

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 accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

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.