Lead Character Artist - Overwatch | Irvine, CA

Tracer, Kiriko, Reinhardt, Genji… these are just a few of the memorable heroes that inhabit our world. We put our heart and soul into bringing these unique and visually stunning characters to life, and our ranks are growing. We want to meet a Lead Character Artist who is ready to help us grow the Overwatch universe.

Blizzard is looking for a highly motivated and talented Lead Character Modeler to join our Overwatch art team in Irvine, California. In this role, you will use your modeling and surfacing skills to bring new heroes, cosmetics and much more that will expand the horizons of Overwatch.

Your broader experience with game development and the character pipeline will help you work collaboratively with designers, concept artists, technical artists, VFX artists and animators to ensure that you are always putting gameplay first when it comes to developing amazing characters.

In short, you’ll be part of a close-knit, collaborative community of artists, engineers, and designers whose sole goal is to make a truly epic and immersive game experience.

Sound fun? If you’re up to the challenge of helping realize the next epic Blizzard title, we want to hear from you!

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 in Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities:

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

• Create high-resolution sculpts and final game-resolution models with hand-authored textures using Photoshop.

• Combine traditional craftsmanship with next-gen materials to achieve Overwatch’s stylized aesthetic.

• Work closely with design, animation, VFX and technical art in an open, feedback-driven pipeline.

• Manage and provide guidance to a team of character artists (internal & external), fostering professional growth and ensuring high-quality output.

• Coordinate and delegate tasks to align with project goals and deadlines, adapting plans as priorities evolve.

• Facilitate regular team meetings and feedback sessions to maintain clear communication and a collaborative environment.

• Collaborate with production and other leads to manage resources, resolve challenges, and support cross-functional initiatives.

• Drive the development and adaptation of best practices, workflows, and pipeline improvements for the character art team.

• Lead and manage a team of character artists, providing clear direction, mentorship, and support for professional growth.

• Ensure a balanced workload across the team, prioritizing artist wellbeing while maintaining high-quality output.

• Coordinate and delegate tasks effectively to align with evolving project goals and production timelines.

Minimum Requirements

Experience

• 8+ years of relevant professional experience, including experience leading or managing others.

• Shipped at least one AAA title for PC or console.

Knowledge & Skills

• Expert-level skills in Maya, ZBrush, and Photoshop.

• Deep understanding of anatomy, silhouette, and hard-surface modeling.

• Strong eye for light, shading, color, and detail in texture creation.

• Familiarity with next-gen asset pipelines and optimization techniques.

• Demonstrated proficiency in hard-surface poly modeling techniques.

• Strong communication and problem-solving abilities.

• Comfortable working in both large and small teams.

• A passion for games and interactive storytelling.

Pluses

• Familiarity with Blizzard’s visual style and a desire to evolve it.

• Experience designing visuals that support gameplay clarity.

• Skills in adjacent disciplines: illustration, animation, VFX, or tech art.

• Multiple years of experience leading educational, training, or mentorship initiatives.

• Contributions to a stylized or competitive multiplayer game.

• Proficient with modern content creation tools, including Substance Painter, Blender, and related applications.

Submission / Portfolio requirements

• A cover letter is required.

• A portfolio and/or reel demonstrating relevant artistic skills is required.

• Only online artwork submissions will be accepted (e.g., website, blog, or online album).

• Candidates may be asked to complete an art test.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (), 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.