Principal Narrative Designer

58 Minutes ago • 7 Years + • Game Story Writing/Narrative Design • $134,000 PA - $247,900 PA

About the job

Job Description

Elsewhere Entertainment seeks a Principal Narrative Designer to lead narrative development for a new IP. Responsibilities include owning key narrative systems, taking ownership of regions, factions, and characters, developing foundational lore, collaborating with cross-functional teams on game locations, characters, quests, and plots. The role involves writing and revising dialogue, cinematic scripts, and in-game text; crafting detailed backstories; utilizing proprietary narrative tools; providing constructive feedback; acting as a liaison to other departments; assisting with character casting and VO/Mocap sessions; mentoring junior staff; and ensuring timely completion of tasks. The ideal candidate possesses 7+ years of experience as a professional Narrative Designer with shipped titles, expertise in RPG narrative design, technical narrative design skills, strong writing and editing abilities, and a collaborative team-first attitude.
Must have:
  • 7+ years Narrative Design experience
  • Shipped title(s)
  • RPG narrative design expertise
  • Technical narrative design skills
  • Strong writing & editing
  • Collaboration skills
Good to have:
  • AAA game experience
  • Published writing
  • Familiarity with major RPGs
  • Experience in quest design, art, programming
  • Experience with pen & paper games
Perks:
  • Medical, dental, vision
  • 401k with company match
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Paid holidays and vacation
  • Mental health & wellbeing programs
  • Relocation assistance (if applicable)

Job Title:

Principal Narrative Designer

Requisition ID:

R024342

Job Description:

Elsewhere Entertainment is looking for a Principal Narrative Designer to join the development of a new IP.     
 
Feed your creativity while driving the development of our game’s world and story! Collaborate with our highly-skilled team to build something innovative, exhilarating, and expansively entertaining. 
 
As a member of the narrative department, you’ll create memorable characters and compelling plots as well as design and write the many types of fictional stories, dialogues, cinematics, and other texts in our game. As a member of the project, you’ll help take the studio and our game from great to even better—with a focus on inclusivity, mutual respect (for ourselves and our players), thoughtfulness, empathy, professionalism, and collaboration.  
 
If you’re a passionate writer and a positive, respectful collaborator who enjoys cross-department communication and creative problem-solving as a part of your workflow, we’d love to talk to you! 
 
You’ll help us by 

  • Owning the development of key narrative systems and features in the game 

  • Taking narrative ownership of one or more regions, factions, and key characters 

  • Developing a new intellectual property’s foundational lore 

  • Collaborating with the narrative team and other departments in creating the game’s locations, characters, factions, quests, and plots 

  • Writing and revising game dialogue and cinematic scripts 

  • Designing, writing, and implementing text for quests, journals, examinables, NPC chatter, items, abilities, and other narrative systems 

  • Crafting detailed backstories for the game's locations, factions, and characters 

  • Becoming proficient in using the game's proprietary narrative tool 

  • Providing constructive feedback on others’ work 

  • Acting as a liaison to other departments, conveying the consistent narrative vision of the project 

  • Assisting with character casting, and preparing scripts for and attending VO and Mocap sessions 

  • Mentoring staff and associate narrative designers  

  • Ensuring all tasks are completed according to given specifications and deadlines 

  • Performing any additional narrative design responsibilities as assigned by Narrative Leadership 


You’re awesome because you have 

  • 7+ years experience as a professional Narrative Designer (or some combination of applicable training and experience) 

  • One or more shipped titles 

  • Subject matter expertise specific to RPG narrative design such as designing narrative systems, writing branching dialogues, etc 

  • Experience with technical narrative design (implementation in tools, visual scripting, etc) 

  • Demonstrable and strong skills as a writer and editor 

  • The ability to collaborate and thrive as part of a creative team 

  • An eagerness to work independently; are self-driven in taking ownership of tasks in a highly confidential environment 

  • Creativity in problem solving and a positive, respectful team-first attitude 

  • Experience pitching game narrative concepts in a clear, detailed manner, through strong written and verbal skills 

  • Organization methods and the capability to meet deadlines 

  • Comfort with self-critique and accepting outside feedback 

  • A habit of regularly playing and understanding modern video games 

  • A voracious appetite for reading fiction and consuming genre media stories 


Bonus points for 

  • Experience with writing for AAA games 

  • Published writing (novels, short fiction, film, television, comics, etc) 

  • Major recognition in your field of work 

  • Familiarity with all major RPGs released in the last decade 

  • Experience in adjacent disciplines such as quest design, environment art, programming, etc 

  • Enjoyment of playing a variety of video game genres and titles 

  • Experience playing and/or designing pen and paper, board, or trading card games 

 

Not sure you meet all the qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! At Activision, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.  

  

Our World   

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.  


We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.   


We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.   


Ready to Activate Your Future?  


#elsewhere  

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 .

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $134,000.00 - $247,900.00 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.
View Full Job Description
$134.0K - $247.9K/yr (Outscal est.)
$190.9K/yr avg.
Santa Monica, California, United States

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About The Company

Founded in 1979, Activision continues to disrupt the world of entertainment with its extensive roster of epic blockbuster games -- Pitfall®, Tony Hawk®, Guitar Hero®, Crash Bandicoot™, Skylanders™, Bungie’s Destiny and Call of Duty.®


As the leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products on consoles, mobile and PC, our “press start” is simple: delight players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.


Activision is headquartered in Santa Monica, and publishes globally in markets including U.S., Canada, Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, mainland China, Hong Kong and the region of Taiwan.


At Activision, we strive to connect and engage our global player community through entertainment. Our success comes from the passionate, talented and diverse team of people behind our world-class franchises. Ensuring Activision is an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive will help us deliver a new era of epic entertainment for our players.

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