Senior II VFX Artist – Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Blizzard Entertainment • 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 an environment that cultivates the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people. We are looking for a Senior II VFX Artist to help craft a new, unannounced game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for defining, creating, and implementing high-impact real-time VFX that strengthen moment-to-moment gameplay, support visual clarity, and elevate the player experience. You are comfortable operating in a dynamic environment, navigating fluid deadlines and changing priorities with purpose. This role offers a flexible hybrid work week, with a mix of remote and on-site days. While hybrid is the standard arrangement, you're also welcome to work on-site full-time if you prefer. Our primary studio location is in Irvine, California.

Requirements

• 12+ years of experience creating real-time VFX for games or interactive media, delivering complex features and systems from concept through implementation.
• Expert-level real-time VFX experience in Unreal Engine, Niagara, or equivalent tools and engines.
• Demonstrated success as a senior or principal individual contributor, defining visual direction, solving complex technical challenges, and influencing quality across teams.
• Strong portfolio showcasing high-quality real-time VFX work, including breakdowns that demonstrate artistic judgment, technical execution, and implementation ownership.
• Expert understanding of real-time VFX fundamentals, including timing, motion, color, composition, readability, player feedback, and gameplay support.
• Strong proficiency with procedural and systemic workflows.
• Advanced knowledge of optimization, profiling, scalability, memory management, and performance tradeoffs for real-time effects.
• Strong proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Houdini, Substance Designer/Painter, Photoshop, After Effects, Maya, or equivalent software.
• Demonstratable ability to author high-quality textures.
• A strong knowledge of authoring simulation/fluid/ rbd data in various formats for real-time VFX.
• Experience collaborating effectively with art, design, engineering, animation, audio, and production teams throughout development.
• Experience developing and shipping content for PC and console platforms (Xbox, PlayStation, and/or equivalent).
• Proven ability to provide mentorship, technical guidance, and constructive feedback that elevates the work of other artists and teams.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate visual, technical, and gameplay goals into clear solutions and actionable plans.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, prioritize effectively, adapt to changing needs, and contribute to an inclusive, collaborative team culture.

Nice To Haves

• Shipped one or more AAA games as a senior VFX artist.
• Experience developing VFX during early prototyping or pre-production phases.
• Built reusable VFX systems, pipelines, or technical standards.
• Experience working with outsourcing partners or distributed teams.
• Familiarity with adjacent disciplines such as technical art, lighting, animation, or gameplay design.
• Experience supporting action, RPG, open-world, or multiplayer gameplay experiences.

Responsibilities

• Create, implement, and refine real-time VFX for gameplay, characters, environments, and player-facing feedback across a new, unannounced game.
• Define visual and technical approaches for complex VFX work, balancing artistic quality, gameplay readability, performance, and maintainability.
• Partner with art, design, engineering, animation, audio, and production to align VFX execution with gameplay goals, technical constraints, and Blizzard quality standards.
• Prototype and validate VFX solutions in Unreal and related tools, then guide integration through established pipelines and engine workflows.
• Establish reusable VFX materials, systems, libraries, and documentation that support consistent implementation across the team.
• Identify risks, dependencies, and opportunities in VFX workflows, then propose practical solutions that improve quality and team efficiency.
• Provide craft guidance, feedback, and mentorship to VFX artists while helping raise the quality bar for the discipline.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners to ensure VFX choices support player comprehension, emotional impact, and long-term game needs.

Benefits

• 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
• Relocation assistance

What This Job Offers

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