Lead Concept Artist – Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Activision Blizzard • Irvine, CA

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

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 Lead Concept Artist to help craft a new, unannounced game for Blizzard. As a key creative leader on the development team, you will be responsible for defining and delivering high-quality concept artwork that establishes the visual foundation of the project, including characters, environments, storyboards, and key art. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic, early-development environment and navigating ambiguity with purpose while balancing creative ambition with production realities. Location Fixed This role is anticipated to be a full-time, hybrid work position, with some work on-site and some work from home. The home studio for this role is Irvine, CA.

Requirements

• Minimum of 10+ years of professional AAA concept art experience, or a combination of applicable training and related experience.
• Minimum of 2+ years of demonstrated leadership experience managing, mentoring, and developing teams of artists.
• Proven experience contributing to and shipping multiple AAA titles in a relevant concept art role.
• Strong track record of partnering effectively with art, design, and production teams.
• Ability to take initiative and lead creative efforts with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire others through an enthusiastic approach to game development and continuous skill growth.
• Comprehensive understanding of concept art creation for games, including characters, environments, props, and key art.
• Strong visual design, composition, color, lighting, and storytelling skills.
• Experience translating high-level creative direction into clear, actionable visual targets.
• Familiarity with modern digital art tools, workflows, and production pipelines.
• Demonstrated understanding of how concept art supports downstream disciplines such as modeling, animation, VFX, and level design.
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach to creative problem solving.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate visual ideas and provide constructive feedback.
• A mentorship mindset with a passion for developing artists and building healthy creative teams.
• Comfort operating in early development and R&D phases with evolving goals and constraints.
• A player-focused mentality and passion for creating visually iconic game worlds.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working on projects during early incubation or R&D phases.
• Strong understanding of physical rendering, materials, and realism.
• Passion for playing and studying a wide variety of video games.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage, and mentor concept artists across multiple initiatives, including characters, environments, storyboards, and key art, while instilling best practices and scalable workflows.
• Partner closely with the Art Director, Production Designer, and Production to define, document, and uphold the project’s visual style and quality bar.
• Oversee the concept art process from initial brief through final approval, ensuring timely delivery within production constraints.
• Collaborate with design, art, and production partners to anticipate concept needs and align creative output with gameplay and narrative goals.
• Prepare clear and detailed concept briefs for internal and external artists.
• Provide consistent, actionable feedback to artists that supports creative direction, gameplay needs, and visual clarity.
• Lead by example through hands-on contribution, including paint-overs, benchmarks, and exploratory concept work when appropriate .
• Maintain and continuously improve concept art pipelines, processes, and workflows to increase efficiency and quality.
• Identify opportunities to improve visual quality, team productivity, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Champion Blizzard Entertainment’s core values and contribute to a collaborative, inclusive development culture.

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.
• 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/ .

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed