From First Day to Full-Time: Inside Blizzard’s Internship Program – Part 2

School's out and summer's almost here in the U.S., which means it's time to welcome the newest class of Blizzard interns to their roles! In this two-part series, we're taking a closer look at the Early Careers program: an internship opportunity that offers firsthand experience in game development across a variety of technical and creative roles. Blizzard interns get to make a big impact working on our games, often seeing their work come to life for players, and can even leave with a game credit for their contributions. Last September, we asked two program recruiters what they were looking for in aspiring candidates. Now, we're sitting down with Megan and Larry, two former "Blizzterns" who are sharing stories about the program, the application process, and how their experience prepared them for full-time careers at Blizzard.

Meet Megan

Alma Mater: University of Texas at Dallas
Current Role: Associate Character Artist on Overwatch

What made you want to apply to the Early Careers program at Blizzard?
I'm a huge fan of the Overwatch art style and had admired it for a while before I applied. I was so excited by the possibility of being accepted as a character art intern. The application itself was fairly easy to complete. The most important part of it was my portfolio. The interview process was also very straightforward: an initial phone screening with a recruiter, followed by an interview with members of the art team. They asked me about some pieces within my portfolio, like how long certain pieces took and my favorite or least favorite parts of the process.

What were some of the highlights of your time as an intern?
At one of our team check-ins, I got to present a Kiriko skin I had worked on. I was super nervous to have the entire Overwatch team look at what I made, but seeing everyone get hyped for it in the meeting chat felt so rewarding! By the time the skin went live, I was back at Blizzard as a full-time employee and I had a bunch of coworkers come up to me to congratulate me on my first skin release. Looking back on it, it feels so surreal!

Another highlight was meeting new friends. The community I found at Blizzard as an intern was something I did not anticipate. The team that I joined was so welcoming. They made coming to work feel fun! I got lunch every day with fellow interns and teammates. We would take afternoon walks around campus together or get boba across the street. And one of my intern roommates ended up coming back to Blizzard full time after she graduated too, and she's now one of my closest friends.

How did your experience as an intern prepare you for a role in the gaming industry?
My lead really focused on making the internship a good learning experience for me. As I mentioned, I developed an epic Kiriko skin, which gave me hands-on experience with the production pipeline used by the Overwatch character art team. I also got to use their proprietary engine. I got tons of feedback from my mentor, other coworkers in the office, and group critique sessions. The guidance I received helped me strengthen my artistic eye, learn what the gaming industry really looks like, and understand what the art team considers when making character skins. I was lucky enough to come back full time to the same team and position that I was an intern for. It felt like my internship was my trial run into the gaming industry. It even helped me make industry connections right out of college.

Do you have any words of wisdom for students who want to apply for next year's class?
Even if you're not sure you're ready to apply, it's worth putting in the effort to do so! Don't accidentally close a door for an opportunity just because you're nervous about being rejected. I was worried that I wasn't at the skill level required and wouldn't get accepted when I sent in my application, but if I had succumbed to those worries, I never would've gotten here and my journey in the industry would have looked completely different. Having been at Blizzard for about two years now, I wouldn't trade it for anything, and I am so grateful that I applied in the first place. Put yourself out there, and even if you don't land your dream gig immediately, try again. The outcome you may get is beyond worth it.

Anything else future interns should know?
The number of dogs I get to pet every day on campus is so incredibly amazing and is one of my favorite parts of the job!

Meet Larry

Alma Mater: University of Southern California
Current Role: System Designer on Overwatch

What was your experience like applying for the Early Careers program?
I grew up playing Overwatch and Hearthstone, and the dream was always to be a dev at a company like Blizzard. The application process for the system design intern role was straightforward in that I had an initial screening call, a written design test, and then an interview with members of the team. The interview itself was very conversational. We spent most of that time talking about experiences on my student project, a year-long project where I directed a team of about 15 other students in making a tactical RPG game that also had some match-three elements. We also talked about how I thought through solving design problems as well as how I had resolved conflicts with my team members.

What do you remember most about your time as an intern?
I was an intern in the lead-up to Overwatch 2's launch, and what I remember most is how the team treated me like an actual employee from the get-go and gave me so much more responsibility than I was expecting, which really excited me since I got to work on things that would actually ship and that mattered to players.

My first big task was to help implement unique Scoreboard stats for all the Heroes. I was encouraged to give a lot of feedback throughout the process and several of my suggestions ended up shaping the final design, which was really exciting.

After that, my main project of the summer was to implement the Saved stat, which celebrates when Support Heroes save their teammates. This was the first time I was given a design task that was less fully formed and I was trusted to design what we would consider a "save" and also implement that design. Going through the whole process of designing, implementing, and iterating based on feedback and playtesting was really valuable, and that same general cycle is identical to what I do now full time. Overall, the whole experience reaffirmed that I was in the right place in the right career and excited me for my future.

Did you gain experience as an intern that has served you in your current role?
My experience as an intern was very similar to the role I've assumed as a full-time employee, working on various features and projects. I learned how to design within constraints, present my work to multidisciplinary stakeholders (other designers, product managers, engineers, UI/UX, audio, etc.), implement efficiently, then iterate based on feedback.

What advice would you give to students wanting to apply?
Make games and make them with friends! Having professional experience isn't necessary for internships. Like I said, most of my interview was spent talking about my student project. Working on a game project in a group for an extended period of time can emulate professional experience and can help hone skills needed to succeed, namely learning how to handle conflicting priorities, giving feedback constructively, and communicating design ideas clearly.

Applications for the Early Careers program open in the fall. Visit Blizzard Careers to learn more about the program and stay informed of when the next application cycle begins!