Senior II VFX Artist – StarCraft | Irvine, CA

BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT, INC.; Irvine (CA); Hybrid; USD 99,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Tuition reimbursement

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. is seeking a Senior II VFX Artist to join the StarCraft team in Irvine, CA.

You will define, create, and implement high‑impact real-time VFX for gameplay, characters, environments, and player feedback within a story‑driven, open world shooter vision. You will collaborate with art, design, engineering, animation, audio, and production to balance artistic quality with performance, and you will mentor other VFX artists while shaping reusable systems and pipelines.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience creating real-time VFX for games or interactive media.
• Expert-level real-time VFX experience in Unreal Engine, Niagara, or equivalents.
• Strong portfolio showing real-time VFX with breakdowns demonstrating artistry and technical ownership.
• Deep understanding of timing, color, readability, and gameplay support for real-time VFX.
• Proficiency with procedural and systemic workflows.
• Expert knowledge of optimization and performance tradeoffs for real-time effects.
• Proficiency with Houdini, Substance Designer/Painter, Photoshop, After Effects, Maya.
• Ability to author high-quality textures and data for real-time VFX.

Responsibilities

• Create, implement, and refine real-time VFX for gameplay, characters, environments, and player-facing feedback across a StarCraft project.
• Define visual and technical approaches balancing artistry, readability, performance, and maintainability.
• Partner with art, design, engineering, animation, audio, and production to align VFX with goals and constraints.
• Prototype and validate VFX in Unreal and related tools, guiding integration through pipelines and engine workflows.
• Establish reusable VFX materials, systems, libraries, and documentation for consistent implementation.
• Identify risks and opportunities in VFX workflows and propose practical improvements.
• Provide craft guidance, feedback, and mentorship to VFX artists to raise quality.
• Collaborate to ensure VFX support player comprehension, emotional impact, and long-term needs.

Skills

Real-time VFX

Unreal Engine

Niagara

Mentorship

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Houdini

Substance Designer

Substance Painter

Photoshop

After Effects

Maya

Job description

Team Name: StarCraft Job Title: Senior II VFX Artist – STARCRAFT | Irvine, CA

Requisition ID: R028002 Job Description: Your Mission Blizzard Entertainment is assembling a team to build the next chapter of STARCRAFT, returning to a universe forged in interstellar war. This mission offers something new: crafting an original story-driven, open-world shooter while honoring the legacy of one of Blizzard's most beloved games. We are here to reignite this universe alongside you. We are here to make STARCRAFT, and it's about damn time. We are looking for a Senior II VFX Artist to help craft this new game for Blizzard. As a key member of the development team, you will be responsible for delivering. 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.

Responsibilities

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

• Create, implement, and refine real-time VFX for gameplay, characters, environments, and player-facing feedback across a new StarCraft 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.

Minimum Requirements

Experience 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.

Extra Points

• 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.

Submission/Portfolio Requirements

Resume Portfolio with real-time VFX examples and breakdowns.

Only online artwork submissions will be accepted (e.g. website, blog, or online album).

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 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 video game 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 the 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!

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 $99,200.00 - $183,520.00 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. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.

Blizzard Entertainment is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software. After establishing the Blizzard Entertainment label in 1994, the company quickly became one of the most popular and well-respected makers of computer games. By focusing on creating well-designed, highly enjoyable entertainment experiences, Blizzard Entertainment has maintained an unparalleled reputation for quality since its inception.