Franchise Artist - Halo Studios

Microsoft•Redmond, WA

About The Position

Halo Studios is building the future of the blockbuster Halo series of video games with Unreal Engine. As part of Xbox Game Studios, the Halo franchise encompasses games, novels, comics, licensed collectibles, apparel, and more with a shared vision of heroism, mystery, and wonder. With multiple projects in development, join our team as we forge the next generation of games and experiences in our award-winning sci-fi universe. Halo Studios is seeking a Franchise Artist to create multimedia content in support of the Halo franchise, our studio, and our products. You will drive content creation to achieve stated goals from creative brief through reviews and iteration to final deliverable. Within the content team, you will support creative ideation, improve and evolve workflow processes, facilitate ensure brand adherence, and reviews for quality assurance. You’ll thrive in a fast-paced environment, partnering with internal and external stakeholders to develop content across a variety of projects moving multiple workstreams of varying scope and mediums forward simultaneously. You are deeply passionate about Halo, understand the franchise’s design language, and know what resonates with fans. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees, we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 1+ year(s) experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment OR equivalent experience.
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements is required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to, the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor's Degree or Certificate in Design, Fine Arts, Human Computer Interaction, Visual Communications or related art field AND 5+ years experience in art design or a related art field working on computer games or entertainment OR equivalent experience.
2+ years experience using related software and packages (e.g., Maya, 3DS Max, Photoshop/Adobe suite, Mental Ray, Substance Designer/Painter/Zbrush, SideFX Houdini, After Effects, Unity, Softimage) OR equivalent software packages.
Experience shipping 1 project or product end to end.

Responsibilities

Create multimedia content in support of studio, franchise, and partner needs spanning 3D renders, motion graphics, FX, video, screenshots, web design, print, photography, and more.
Ensure brand adherence, compliance, compatibility, and quality across all deliverables.
Support studio content team creative development, ideation, reviews, and approvals.
Champion workflow evolutions, process improvements, skill development, and emerging technologies across the content team.
Foster partnership and knowledge sharing across Halo Studios art teams.
Help with game development team projects including cinematics, UI/UX, and more.
Maintain accurate, timely production backlog and project status tracking.
Support creative planning and drive output for key product marketing deliverables (gameplay trailers, capture, screenshots, and more).
Lead Unreal Engine content creation training and integration into content team workflows.
Define and evangelize game capture needs, tooling, and opportunities with development team stakeholders.
Develop standardized foundational guidelines for content development best practices across owned channels (social, web, YouTube).
Partner with Community Team leads to define creative in support of product roadmaps, O&O channel strategies, community engagement, and more.
Own Halo Waypoint graphic design and visual elements
Seek out creative opportunities to delight Halo fans and showcase the franchise.