Lead Animator, In-Game Cinematics | Diablo IV | Albany, NY at Blizzard Entertainment in Albany, New York

Job Description:

Team Name:
Diablo IV

Job Title:
Lead Animator, In-Game Cinematics | Diablo IV | Albany, NY

Requisition ID:
R023208

Job Description:

Your Mission

The minions of Hell are growing stronger...

If you're a highly motivated and experienced Lead Cinematics Animator, you will work alongside other Leads and Directors to collaborate on a shared vision of creating the next iteration of defining in-game cinematic content in Diablo . Be a force multiplier with your creativity and cunning eye for detail. Do you geek out on animation principles, direction, team building, feedback, and all other things connected to successful real time cinematics? This job is about collaborating with our internal real time cinematics team, tech art team, testing ideas, pitching ideas, all to help ensure everything runs smoothly. We're looking for an extraordinarily dedicated person to come spend some quality time in Sanctuary and descend into the deep dark dungeons of Diablo with us! Your experience in crafting performances, problem solving and managing a talented team will help make us all better at making a lot of impressive content.

Location fixed:

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 Albany, NY.

What you bring to the table:

You may wonder what it will take to be successful in this role. Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Manage communication, provide feedback to animators, and help maintain a strong creative relationship between directors and the animation teams.


• Work as a group with Animation Directors, and other Animation Leads to help establish and realize the vision for animation in the department.


• It's important that we communicate through strong collaboration with other disciplines. We work through many of these challenges through our collaboration.


• Work with Cinematic Leadership and Narrative to bring story content to life in the world of Sanctuary.


• Implementing cinematic content into the game engine is part of our everyday so having a base knowledge of the engine will be key to helping problem solve with the team.


• We work closely with art, production and other leads to determine cinematic needs for the game.


• A keen eye for helping direct MoCap shoots.


• Ability to give clear direction and feedback as a craft specialist.


• We are committed to a strong and positive culture on the team. You will be a part of helping continue to build this culture.


• We work closely with directors to help manage individuals' career paths. The people management side is an important aspect of your responsibilities as a lead. Your experience and knowledge will help continue to strengthen our department.

Minimum Requirement:

Experience

• 2+ Years in a Lead or Management Support Role


• 5+ Years in Game Development or Similar Entertainment Focused Industry


• Having shipped high-quality content in games or film as an animator and/or lead helps establish a foundation that you can build on.


• Having experience in pipelines relevant to crafting these cinematic experiences is the key.

Knowledge & Skills

• Ensuring execution and quality for the Diablo world is an integral part of ensuring we all work together to help drive the success of the team.


• Responsible for helping push the Animation quality through storytelling for real time Cinematic content.


• Demonstrating knowledge of technical problem-solving skills is part of the foundation that we are looking for.


• Understanding narrative elements to assess how they could affect the development of the story is a key part of our creative process.


• Working with Directors/Production and Cinematic Leadership to develop detailed cinematic schedules for all deliverables.

Key Attributes

• Managing, mentoring, and developing animators will be part of your day to day.


• Helping manage the project as well as the department in collaboration with Directors and other leads.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), 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 accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. 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.

Rewards

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/ .

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $97,200.00 - $179,900.00 Annual. 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.