Senior Technical Artist, Rigging - Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA or Albany, NY

Team Name:

Unannounced Project

Job Title:Senior Technical Artist, Rigging - Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA or Albany, NY

Requisition ID:R024915

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

We are looking for a Senior Rigging Artist to help craft a new, unannounced game for Blizzard. As an essential part of the development team, you will design and maintain advanced deformation systems for characters, creatures, and vehicles, ensuring realistic movement and high-quality performance. This role requires strong problem-solving skills, technical expertise, and a deep understanding of animation principles to create seamless character deformations. 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 or Albany, NY.

Responsibilities

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Develop, test, and maintain rigs, including skinning for characters, weapons, and vehicles.

• Collaborate closely with animators, modelers, and technical artists to set standards and enhance rigging tools and animation workflows.

• Optimize and refine content creation pipelines, identifying and addressing workflow bottlenecks to enhance efficiency for both yourself and the broader art team.

• Oversee and implement simulations for cloth, hair, and other dynamic elements across a diverse range of characters and creatures.

• Develop and maintain Python/MEL scripts to streamline and automate rigging processes.

• Mentor junior rigging artists, fostering best practices and technical growth.

Minimum Requirements

Experience

• 8+ years in the game industry as a character rigger or related role.

• A strong demo reel and online portfolio showcasing expertise in rigging, motion controls, complex deformations, and advanced skinning for both body and facial animation in characters and creatures.

Knowledge & Skills

• Expertise in AAA game engines with a solid understanding of art implementation and integration workflows.

• Deep understanding of character pipelines, including industry-standard 3D creation tools.

• Experience developing custom rigging and animation tools.

• Strong scripting skills in Python, MEL, or similar languages.

Key Attributes

• 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 solve problems proactively.

Extra Points

• Experience working through early development and R&D phases of a project.

• Solid understanding of game development beyond technical art (e.g., lighting, VFX, animation, audio, rendering, systems).

• Experience with Unreal Engine, blueprints and physics setups.

• Experience with motion capture pipelines.

• A passion for video games and a deep understanding of game animation and interactivity.
    

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 innovative 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 [email protected]. 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.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!  Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending 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, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
• Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
• If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company.  You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $97,200.00 - $179,900.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.