Principal Character Artist - Infinity Ward

Job Title:

Principal Character Artist - Infinity Ward

Requisition ID:

R027886

Job Description:

Your Mission

Come work with the team behind Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Warzone. Infinity Ward is seeking an experienced Principal Character Artist to help define and deliver world-class character experiences for one of the industry's most iconic franchises. In this role, you will create high-fidelity, photorealistic characters while driving artistic excellence, mentoring fellow artists, and helping shape character art pipelines and best practices across the studio.

The ideal candidate is a highly skilled character artist with deep expertise in realistic character creation, a passion for authenticity, and a proven track record shipping AAA console or PC titles.

This role is based in our Woodland Hills office and follows an onsite work schedule of Monday through Friday. Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs.

What You'll Do

• Partner with Art Directors, Producers, Animators, and Technical Artists to deliver high-quality character assets that support immersive player experiences.
• Create compelling, realistic characters, clothing, gear, and accessories that meet quality, performance, and scalability requirements.
• Research and apply extensive knowledge of military uniforms, equipment, and tactical gear to ensure authenticity and attention to detail.
• Independently execute high-level creative direction while proactively identifying solutions and opportunities for improvement.
• Serve as a quality champion and trusted expert for character art performance, efficiency, and visual fidelity.
• Mentor and support fellow artists through constructive feedback, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
• Advocate for best practices, pipeline improvements, and workflow efficiencies across character art production.
• Collaborate cross-functionally to ensure art goals, technical requirements, and production plans are clearly understood and executed.
• Contribute innovative ideas and creative solutions throughout game development.

Player Profile

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional experience as a Character Artist in game development, with a strong emphasis on realistic character creation.
• Exceptional portfolio demonstrating expertise in photorealistic character art, including organic and hard-surface modeling, clothing, equipment, materials, and texturing.
• Experience shipping AAA console and/or PC titles, ideally within the first-person shooter genre.
• Advanced proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Maya or 3ds Max, ZBrush, Photoshop, and Substance Painter/Designer.
• Deep understanding of game art pipelines, real-time production workflows, and modern game engines.
• Strong knowledge of human anatomy, clothing construction, form, silhouette, and proportion.
• Expert understanding of Physically Based Rendering (PBR) workflows and rendering techniques.
• Experience creating assets for modern console and PC platforms.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to thrive in a highly collaborative, fast-paced, and evolving development environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with scan-based character creation workflows and photogrammetry technologies.
• Strong understanding of contemporary game art trends and visual storytelling.
• Experience contributing to or defining character art standards, pipelines, and production processes.
• Previous leadership, mentorship, or principal-level experience within a AAA development environment.

About Infinity Ward

Founded in 2002, Infinity Ward is the original studio behind the Call of Duty franchise. The studio has earned more than 200 Game of the Year awards and over 100 Editor's Choice awards while delivering some of gaming's most influential and successful titles.

Infinity Ward fosters a culture built on creativity, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. We believe exceptional games are created by exceptional teams and are committed to providing an environment where talented developers can thrive and do their best work.

Our World

At Activision, our mission is to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment and deliver unforgettable experiences to players around the world. We are home to some of the industry's most beloved franchises, including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Guitar Hero.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where diverse perspectives drive creativity, innovation, and better experiences for our players and our teams.

Ready to Activate Your Future?

We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply, even if they don't meet every qualification listed above. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

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 $136,880.00 - $253,260.00 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.