Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
It looks like Blizzard Entertainment is staffing up bigtime for a new, unannounced project. The studio was hit with layoffs earlier this year following completion of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, but recent job listings suggest Blizzard is trying to pull in some high-level talent to lead director and senior roles on something new.
Blizzard’s new job listings recently appeared on its careers directory. The positions include a variety of major roles including, but not limited to, narrative director, creative director, design director, senior art director, senior 3D artist, and principal environment artist, just to name a few. Details on what the actual project is are scarce on any of the job listings, but one line about “IP world-building and narrative design” suggests it could be something altogether new, or a vast new spin on an existing property.
Either way, this listing comes after Microsoft announced a layoff of around 1,900 employees earlier this year, of which studios under Activision Blizzard were affected. The layoffs led immediately into Activision Blizzard studio and Spyro the Dragon/Crash Bandicoot developer Toys For Bob breaking off from Activision Blizzard to go indie. While Activision Blizzard claims some of the layoffs were planned before Microsoft’s announcement, it’s hard not to think that the studio may have left itself short staffed following said layoffs.
Nonetheless, Blizzard seems to have something grand up its sleeve and is currently preparing to assemble the team that will create it. As we wait to see what form that takes, stay tuned for more updates on this story at Shacknews.