Principal Sound Designer, Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Team Name:

Unannounced Project

Job Title:

Principal Sound Designer, Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA

Requisition ID:

R026781

Job Description:

Your Mission

At Blizzard, we craft genre‑defining games and legendary worlds for all to share. Through unparalleled creativity and technical excellence, we create immersive universes and unforgettable player experiences – 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 Principal Sound Designer to help craft a new, unannounced game for Blizzard. As a principal‑level individual contributor, you will be responsible for defining and executing high‑quality sound design while shaping scalable audio pipelines and workflows across the project. You will work in close partnership with audio leadership, engineering, and cross‑disciplinary teams to ensure audio systems are robust, performant, and creatively aligned with the vision of the game.

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 Irvine, CA.

Responsibilities

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

• Deliver world class sound design using commercial and proprietary software, tools, and source material.

• Partner closely with the Audio Director to define and execute the audio aesthetic of the project.
• Collaborate with audio programmers and sound designers to design, implement, and scale audio pipelines.
• Anticipate project needs and independently design and implement solutions without supervision.
• Optimize audio assets and advise on workflow improvements to increase efficiency and scalability across the project.
• Troubleshoot complex audio‑related problems across multiple disciplines.
• Clearly communicate technical and creative concepts through strong written and verbal communication.
• Self‑manage time and drive complex, multi‑stage initiatives to completion.

Experience

• 13+ years of combined professional experience in the game industry as a sound designer.
• Demonstrated experience owning and delivering complex audio systems on shipped titles.
• Proven experience collaborating with engineering and cross‑disciplinary partners on large‑scale projects.

Knowledge and Skills

• Expertise with AAA game engines and a strong understanding of audio implementation and integration workflows.
• Deep understanding of Wwise and real‑time audio systems.
• Experience developing and improving custom audio workflows and tools.
• Extensive knowledge of field‑recording techniques and source capture.
• Experience mentoring others and actively sharing technical and creative knowledge across teams.

Key Attributes

• A team‑oriented approach to your work, understanding the importance of collaboration and partnership across disciplines.
• The ability to inspire and elevate others through technical leadership, mentorship, and craft excellence.
• A self‑motivated, proactive problem‑solver who operates effectively with minimal direction.
• Strong adaptability to feedback and evolving project needs.

Extra Points

• Experience working through early‑development and R&D phases of a project.
• Experience with Unreal Engine, including Blueprints and Wwise integration.
• Scripting skills in Python, MEL, or similar languages.
• Passion for video games and a deep understanding of game audio.

Required Application Materials

• Demo reel and/or online portfolio showcasing sound design and technical audio work.

Your Platform

At Blizzard Entertainment, we pour our hearts and souls into everything we create. Best known for iconic video‑game universes including Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft, we’ve been creating genre‑defining games for millions of players around the world for more than 30 years. We’re on a quest: bring our dreams to life and craft the most epic entertainment experiences…ever.

Our World

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.

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.

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 $116,800.00 - $216,000.00 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.