Blizzard Entertainment
Lead Technical Artist - Overwatch 2 | Irvine, CA
Blizzard Entertainment, Irvine, California, United States, 92713
Lead Technical Artist, Characters - Overwatch 2 | Irvine, CA
We are seeking an inspiring and strategic Lead Technical Artist, Characters to manage our Character Tech Art Team, with a special focus on reward systems and game cosmetics. In this manager role, you will be responsible for leading, mentoring, and developing a team of technical artists, driving both the creative and technical vision for cosmetic and character assets.
This role is anticipated to be a hybrid position, with work both on-site at our Irvine, CA studio and from home.
Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of technical artists focused on cosmetic rewards and character tech art, supporting talent development and best practices.
Oversee the design, development, and optimization of cosmetic pipelines, including skinning, rigging, physics setup, and export readiness for skins, weapons, props, and reward items.
Drive technical innovation and efficiency in cosmetic asset production, championing new workflows, automation, and process improvements.
Collaborate across concept, VFX, animation, design, and engineering to deliver high-quality cosmetic assets aligned with game vision and player expectations.
Set clear standards for art assets, lead performance optimization, and recommend/implement improvements to product quality and team productivity.
Research, identify, and resolve technical challenges in production pipelines and processes, developing solutions and new tools as needed for Overwatch’s art production.
Manage and maintain asset integration, files, pipelines, and processes for Overwatch’s art production.
Partner with other leads and directors to meet Overwatch’s visual and technical standards and represent the team in leadership meetings.
Minimum Requirements
8+ years of experience in AAA Tech Art, ideally including multiplayer or team-based games.
Proven track record, with shipped titles in a relevant role.
Leadership experience managing technical artists in a studio environment.
Knowledge & Skills:
Comprehensive understanding of all major aspects of content creation in commercial game engines.
Deep understanding of character kinematics, deformation, topology, and technical workflows for cosmetics.
Expertise in Maya tool development, pipeline design, and Python or similar programming languages.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Experience generating cloth/hair rigs and art-directed simulations for cosmetic assets.
Key Attributes
Collaborative, team-oriented mindset, working effectively with all Overwatch departments.
Ability to inspire others with enthusiasm for game development and skill improvement.
Self-motivated leadership, driving initiatives and fostering innovation.
Proven ability to pioneer practical, production-oriented art workflows for a live-service game.
Extra Points
Experience leading teams in shipping AAA games, especially in FPS or live service environments.
Passion for Blizzard games and cosmetic reward systems.
Familiarity with destruction, VFX, material creation, and LOD optimization tools (e.g., Simplygon).
Platform Blizzard Entertainment is best known for iconic universes such as Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®. As a division of Activision Blizzard, now part of Microsoft, we’ve created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games.
Our World Activision Blizzard is one of the world’s largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies, home to beloved franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™, and Bubble Witch™. Our network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
We build immersive, innovative worlds by empowering diverse teams in an inclusive environment. Our culture encourages everyone to thrive and connect through epic entertainment. Employees enjoy a comprehensive suite of benefits that support physical, emotional, and financial well‑being.
Equal Opportunity Blizzard Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. 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.
Benefits 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.
Compensation In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $46.73 - $86.49 hourly. 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.
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This role is anticipated to be a hybrid position, with work both on-site at our Irvine, CA studio and from home.
Responsibilities
Lead, mentor, and grow a team of technical artists focused on cosmetic rewards and character tech art, supporting talent development and best practices.
Oversee the design, development, and optimization of cosmetic pipelines, including skinning, rigging, physics setup, and export readiness for skins, weapons, props, and reward items.
Drive technical innovation and efficiency in cosmetic asset production, championing new workflows, automation, and process improvements.
Collaborate across concept, VFX, animation, design, and engineering to deliver high-quality cosmetic assets aligned with game vision and player expectations.
Set clear standards for art assets, lead performance optimization, and recommend/implement improvements to product quality and team productivity.
Research, identify, and resolve technical challenges in production pipelines and processes, developing solutions and new tools as needed for Overwatch’s art production.
Manage and maintain asset integration, files, pipelines, and processes for Overwatch’s art production.
Partner with other leads and directors to meet Overwatch’s visual and technical standards and represent the team in leadership meetings.
Minimum Requirements
8+ years of experience in AAA Tech Art, ideally including multiplayer or team-based games.
Proven track record, with shipped titles in a relevant role.
Leadership experience managing technical artists in a studio environment.
Knowledge & Skills:
Comprehensive understanding of all major aspects of content creation in commercial game engines.
Deep understanding of character kinematics, deformation, topology, and technical workflows for cosmetics.
Expertise in Maya tool development, pipeline design, and Python or similar programming languages.
Strong communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Experience generating cloth/hair rigs and art-directed simulations for cosmetic assets.
Key Attributes
Collaborative, team-oriented mindset, working effectively with all Overwatch departments.
Ability to inspire others with enthusiasm for game development and skill improvement.
Self-motivated leadership, driving initiatives and fostering innovation.
Proven ability to pioneer practical, production-oriented art workflows for a live-service game.
Extra Points
Experience leading teams in shipping AAA games, especially in FPS or live service environments.
Passion for Blizzard games and cosmetic reward systems.
Familiarity with destruction, VFX, material creation, and LOD optimization tools (e.g., Simplygon).
Platform Blizzard Entertainment is best known for iconic universes such as Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®. As a division of Activision Blizzard, now part of Microsoft, we’ve created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games.
Our World Activision Blizzard is one of the world’s largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies, home to beloved franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™, and Bubble Witch™. Our network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!
We build immersive, innovative worlds by empowering diverse teams in an inclusive environment. Our culture encourages everyone to thrive and connect through epic entertainment. Employees enjoy a comprehensive suite of benefits that support physical, emotional, and financial well‑being.
Equal Opportunity Blizzard Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. 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.
Benefits 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.
Compensation In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $46.73 - $86.49 hourly. 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.
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