Today, a new job opening for a Software Engineer (Mobile) requires the candidate to have affinity for Blizzard games and eSports; and next it says “The Blizzard Media Network team is responsible for building and supporting the video experience for Android and iOS media apps across Activision/Blizzard/King.”

Searching for the term “Blizzard Media Network” doesn’t show anything in search engines. Is this something that already exists, or is this something that is in development?

At first, I thought this was something akin to the Overwatch League app where you can watch eSport matches, and VODs — but things got murkier and more broad in scope.

As I kept reading through the bizarre job opening, the PLUS section requires the candidate to have experience working with content (live, vod) encoding and transcoding; experience in Broadcast/Broadband Television, Video-On-Demand; experience building video experiences for OTT devices (Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire, etc.).

Full stop. This project is not just aiming to broadcast to the Android and iOS viewership. It is far more encompassing than just eSports. What does Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, and Amazon Fire have in common? Films, Animated Series, 13-episode show series right onto your living room and bedroom’s TV.

This triggered a memory. Back on March 2019, this trademark news circulated around the internet. Whoa?!

Diablo downloadable films and movies trademark

Is the Blizzard Media Network meant to be some kind of Blizzard Netflix service putting together documentaries, eSports, films, animated shorts, animated TV series, cinematics, and so on? The job opening makes the March 2019 Diablo trademark start to make sense.

The Blizzard Media Network might be getting ready to broadcast films and series based on Warcraft, Diablo, Overwatch and other IPs. In theory, they could also allow you to play games straight from your TV, kinda like Google Stadia aims to do.

The job opening won’t only work alongside Blizzard Entertainment. He/She will work with Activision and King. It is an Activision Blizzard umbrella project. I have a feeling that the Blizzard Media Network might function as the Beverly Hills-based Activision Blizzard Studios platform to reach not only Netflix, but everyone.

Not bad for speculation. Will we ever hear about this at BlizzCon?

Activision Blizzard Studios

Blizzard Entertainment is looking for a ​rockstar mobile engineer who has a passion for
building epic video experiences. The ideal candidate would relish in the details with an
affinity for Blizzard games and Esports.
The Blizzard Media Network team is responsible for building and supporting the video
experience for Android and iOS media apps across Activision/Blizzard/King.

Responsibilities

  • Focus on building front end experience supporting the standard media mobile
    playback experience company wide.

  • Collaborate with product, design and dev ops in delivering epic video experiences
  • Contribute to the architecture, design, implementation, deployment and support of
    mobile video experiences
  • Instrument applications to monitor for engagement, user pathing, quality of service, and performance
  • Communicate estimations/timelines/progress of individual contribution, raise risks
    and ensure deliverables are documented
  • Contribute to app architecture/design reviews, code reviews, writing unit tests, performance tuning
  • Help ideate and prototype new features

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, ​Engineering​, or equivalent experience
  • 3+ years of relevant native mobile development experience
  • Demonstrated skills in Android development (Java, Kotlin)
  • One or more applications successfully deployed to the Google Play Store
  • Understanding of Android design principles, guidelines, and best practices
  • Deep understanding of CI workflow that leverages industry standard Android testing
    and build tools needed to deliver quality apps
  • Knowledge of Exoplayer framework
  • Experience working/integrating with video player solutions such as Bitmovin, Brightcove, JWPlayer,
  • Drive quality and stability by writing unit, functional and performance tests with Test
    Driven Development (TDD)
  • Experience with debugging and profiling native applications on major devices
  • Excellent analytical, problem solving, and debugging skills
  • Attention to detail and quality
  • Effective communication skills with developers of all technical skill levels

Pluses

  • Experience in iOS development including Objective-C, Swift, Cocoa Touch, Xcode,
    CocoaPods, etc.
  • Experience working with content (live, vod) encoding and transcoding
  • Server-Side Ad Insertion (SSAI) technology stacks including MediaTailor, DFP, SpotX
  • Understanding of video codecs and compression (H.264/AVC, H.265/HEVC) and
    streaming technologies (HLS, MPEG-DASH)
  • Experience in Broadcast/Broadband Television, Video-On-Demand
  • Experience with digital rights management
  • Deep understanding of all aspects of content clipping, live video encoding, and DVR
  • Experience building video experiences for OTT devices (Roku, Apple TV, Google
    Chromecast, Amazon Fire, etc.)
  • Familiarity with HTTP/S and basic networking concepts
  • Familiarity with content protection, and native security standards
  • Experience with identity management (OAuth, Open ID Connect, SAML, etc.)

Required Application Materials

  • Resume
  • Cover Letter

Blizzard Entertainment is a global company committed to growing our employees. We offer generous benefits and perks with an eye on providing true work / life balance. We’ve worked hard to champion an intensely collaborative and creative environment, a diverse and inclusive employee culture, and training and opportunity for professional growth. Our people are everything. Our core values are real, and our mission has never changed.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We are dedicated to creating the most epic entertainment experiences…ever. Join us!

Source: Linkedin | Web.Archive

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BlizzCon 2019 Panel Transcripts