If you’re into gaming, you may be wondering how hard it is to get an internship at Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard is one of the most prominent names in the gaming industry and a dream job for those who have a passion for gaming.
Many students try to get into Blizzard’s internship program to gain actual work experience. In this article, we provide a step-by-step guide on how to get an internship at Blizzard. We’ll also include information on salaries, responsibilities, and tips to prepare for the application process.
What Is Blizzard? A Brief Blizzard Background
Blizzard Entertainment, also called Camp Blizzard, is based in Irving, Southern California, and is one of the biggest entertainment companies. It focuses on developing video games and is known for producing iconic titles like World of Warcraft, Overwatch, and Hearthstone. It is one of the most exciting gaming companies to work with, especially for game developers.
Does Blizzard Hire Students?
Yes, Blizzard hires students through internships. The Blizzard Entertainment internship program helps active students prepare for their future careers through hands-on participation. The program provides the required experience and resources for college students whose future careers align with Blizzard Entertainment.
Blizzard Internships: General Overview
The internship opportunities cater to many fields. Through the internship, Blizzard interns who are affectionately called “Blizzterns” get a breadth of experience with networking opportunities and professional development. Below, we go over everything you need to know about Blizzard internships.
What Does a Blizzard Intern Do?
The Blizzterns assist a team in the development cycles through a 12-week program with all resources and tools provided by Blizzard. Whether you want to be an artist or a programmer, Blizzard will give you the essential work experience you need for your career growth.
Interns get the awesome opportunity to be immersed in Blizzard’s core values and experience their dynamic atmosphere with people. The Blizzard internship program is stated as a professional experience that impacts the respective development teams. Interns get to participate in the creation of Blizzard’s epic entertainment experiences.
Blizzard Internship Reviews: What Is the Experience Like?
Glassdoor reports that Blizzard Entertainment’s Intern rating is 4.3 out of 5 stars. Former and current interns alike speak of a brilliant company culture and a multitude of exciting experiences. The interns get to enjoy a collaborative environment for learning and professional experience.
Throughout the three-month internship, the interns get to work with professional and friendly game developers. Most of them say that it’s a great place to work and learn. It is a fitting environment for gamers or those with a passion for gaming or game development.
Is It Hard to Get an Internship at Blizzard?
Yes, it’s definitely harder to land an internship with Blizzard than with the average company. Back in 2017, Blizzard’s internship program had a low acceptance rate of 0.6 percent. However, don’t let that statistic put you off from trying. The challenge of getting in will be worth it.
Blizzard Intern Salaries: How Much Does a Blizzard Internship Pay?
Overall, the average salary of an intern at Blizzard is in the range of $20-$30 per hour. Glassdoor reports that Software Engineer interns at Blizzard earn an average of $33-$35 per hour. However, the salary for an internship at Blizzard varies depending on your role.
How to Apply for a Blizzard Internship: A Step-by-Step Guide
Applying for Blizzard internship positions is a straightforward process. The application takes place on its website, which provides ample information on the program. Below is a step-by-step process to help you through your internship application.
Step 1: Scout Out Available Internships on the Website
There are multiple internship programs available for application on their website. Make sure to look at each one to decide which one fits your skills and interests. Blizzard encourages you to apply for more than one.
Step 2: Prepare Your Resume and Portfolio
Once you know which roles you are applying for, prepare your resume. Include an art portfolio if you’d like to apply for an art internship. Make sure the things you show off on your resume are applicable and ideal for the roles you’ll be applying for. List any significant skills or out-of-school experiences, such as experience in software development.
Step 3: Fill Out an Application
Once you feel prepared, fill out and submit an application. Make sure you fill in as many details as you can, while thoroughly answering the application questions. Then, you await email updates or calls for feedback about your application status as a Blizztern.
How to Get an Internship at Blizzard: Internship Opportunities in 2022
Multiple roles await aspiring students who want future careers at Blizzard. There are numerous fields you can apply for from art to cyber security. Below, we list a few specific internship opportunities at Blizzard. They have a strict application deadline because of the number of applicants. The internship application season runs for only five months, from September to January.
Concept Art Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current student pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a PhD, and graduating June 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: Artistic proficiency and sensibility, a good grasp of visual design
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
Students will focus on providing art for Hearthstone on the concept art internship. They will participate in the iteration of game assets with production artists. The intern will also work with a team to help create design concepts in agreement with the vision for the game.
Business and Gameplay Insights Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be pursuing a masters degree in business or a related field
- Skill Requirements: The ability to practically apply statistical models and processes, preferably familiar with query languages, gaming fields, and other related fields
- Length: 10-12 weeks
- Start Date: May 2022 or June 2022
This internship tasks the student with critical business decisions by applying their business intelligence. They need to provide in-depth analysis of business, gameplay, and operational data. They must also apply their business talent to measure the financial impact of decisions and monitor the competitive landscape.
VFX Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current student pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a PhD and graduating June 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: The ability to work with FX systems and other related technical skills, strong artistic sensibilities
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
The VFX intern will create various visual effects to communicate gameplay. Their VFX must be well-stylized and created with a proper grasp on the principles of motion, lighting, dynamics, and more. They must achieve this through 3D packages, in-game FX systems, and various tools provided by Blizzard.
Environment Art Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current student pursuing a bachelor degree, master’s degree, or a PhD, graduating June 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: Skilled in traditional modeling packages such as 3DS Max, skilled in composition and layout aspect of design, and have experience with creating PBR materials
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
The environment artist works closely with the team to help create compelling worlds. They build artistic structures, terrain, and environmental props. They also participate in the critique process and execute well on feedback.
Character Art Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current student pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a PhD and graduating June 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: Ability to create 3D sculpts, low polygon game assets, and other related skills
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
The Character Art intern will be responsible for bringing Overwatch characters to life. They also work with a team in a creative environment and work with multiple production artists to iterate on game assets. They will get the opportunity to break new ground in the Overwatch universe.
Software Engineering Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Currently a college or university student and returning for at least one more semester or quarter after the internship
- Skill Requirements: Proficiency in web technologies and familiarity with various technology programming concepts, depending on which team you apply for
- Length: 11-12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
This Blizztern role allows the intern to choose which software engineering team they’d like to join. These teams include ecommerce, platform applications, service technologies, or cloud team synopsis. Whether the student is an aspiring backend developer or web application developer, this role will help them gain skills for their future career.
Rigging Artist Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current student pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a PhD, and graduating June 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: Strong artistic sensibilities and related rigging artist skills
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
A rigging artist is responsible for creating digital skeletons for 3D characters. In this internship, you can collaborate in teams using your art skills and experience. You must ensure that the character assets in Diablo IV, one of Blizzard’s games, meet the required standards.
Art Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Must be a current student pursuing a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or a PhD and graduating June 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: Art experience and proficiency in artistic skills related to roles such as concept artist or gameplay animator
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
The art internship offers various roles such as cinematic animator, technical artist, lighting artist, and more to current students. The intern will work closely with their respective teams to design, create, and help execute the artistic process of Blizzard. They will get the opportunity to collaborate with many industry professionals and work with great resources.
Cyber Security Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Currently a student in a college or university, preferably with a computer science or cyber security degree, and graduating in December 2022 or later
- Skill Requirements: Familiarity with different cyber privacy and security engineering concepts, depending on which role you take
- Length: 12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
This internship allows the student to choose from multiple teams. These include game security engineers, application security engineers, and data privacy. The intern will work with a team that protects games from cheaters and applications from vulnerabilities. Depending on the team, the intern may also implement privacy-related projects and help improve Blizzard’s privacy settings.
UI/UX Internship
- Location: Irvine, CA
- Eligibility Requirements: Currently a college or university student and returning for at least one more semester or quarter after the internship
- Skill Requirements: Experience creating flows, wireframes, and low-fidelity prototypes; knowledge of user-centered design methodologies, and methods for analyzing and gathering UX research data
- Length: 11-12 weeks
- Start Date: Late May 2022 or late June 2022
As a design intern for Blizzard, the Blizztern must contribute to various products used by gamers worldwide. They will work on Blizzard’s desktop and mobile apps, websites, and tools. They will help improve the user experience or visual design and collaborate effectively with their team.
How to Improve Your Chances of Getting a Blizzard Internship
Blizzard is one of the biggest game companies in the game industry worldwide, with iconic all-time great video games and products. This means that getting a Blizztern position is challenging and highly competitive. If this is part of your career focus, below are a few tips to help you with your application process.
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Write an Appealing Resume
Your resume has a significant impact on your chances of getting in. You should include relevant and interesting information, such as examples of internship goals you wish to achieve and any previous experience. Keep in mind what the company values are when stating soft skills and make your resume personalized for your role. Create an effective cover letter to go with your resume.
Attend a Bootcamp
Attend a bootcamp to acquire relevant programming skills. A bootcamp is a short-term intensive training program that teaches you practical tech skills. Developing relevant skills will give you a good chance of snagging that internship.
Be Interview-Ready
Be prepared to put your best foot forward during the interview process. Internships at tech companies are different from your typical internship. Be prepared to answer questions about why you want to intern with the gaming company.
Should I Apply for an Internship at Blizzard?
Yes, you should apply for an internship at Blizzard. The summer Blizzard internship is a beneficial experience for gamers and non-gamers alike. Blizzard’s company background and ratings are some of the best in the gaming industry. Although it’s highly competitive, getting a chance to intern at Blizzard would be an excellent addition to your resume and career path.
Blizzard Internships FAQ
Yes, there is a summer Blizzard internship. Blizzard runs a paid 12-week summer internship program that gives students hands-on experience. The applications for the summer Blizzard internship usually run from September to January, every year.
There are no age limits for internships in the United States. Legally, employers are obligated to refrain from basing intern hiring decisions on age limits.
No, Blizzard internships usually require interns to work in-office. In some cases, the intern will need to relocate during the internship period. Blizzard allowed interns to work from home during the height of the pandemic, but currently, they’re aiming to work in-office again.
Blizzard’s summer internship program is full-time for 10-12 weeks. Most interns attend college or universities and get paid while attending the internship program.
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