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Senior Dialogue Designer
2 years ago
Senior Dialogue Designer
Summary:
For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. We’ve been busy at the Kennel, most recently releasing The Last of Us Part I, a complete and faithful remake of the original game, rebuilt from the ground up and fully optimized for the PlayStation 5 and currently in development for PC. As a part of the Naughty Dog legacy, you’ll be continuing the development of extraordinary and enduring experiences for a broad, global range of audiences.
Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.
Is your passion crafting dialogue systems? Working out the timing and aesthetics of story conversations in engine? Are you looking for ways to make game dialogue sound more intelligent? Then you’re in the right place!
Naughty Dog is looking for a Senior Dialogue Designer who has confirmed excellence in both creative and technical work. The ideal candidate possesses a strong cinematic style, enthusiastic attention to detail, as well as passion for narrative, storytelling, and systemic dialogue.
A strong & clear communication style is required, as collaboration is a crucial feature to making games at Naughty Dog. We’re looking for an individual who has a deep understanding that it takes a team to make games and embodies that for associate level team members and beyond. Therefore, you will collaborate with fellow dialogue team members, writers, designers, animators, and programmers. You will report to the Dialogue Lead, Principal Dialogue Designer, & Audio Director for all tasks.
And in case you’re wondering, writing is not a part of the responsibility set for this role. We encourage you to check back for writing/narrative positions when available.
Responsibilities:
- Coordinating and implementing dialogue for the following:
- Gameplay/Story dialogue scenarios
- In-game cinematics
- AI driven dialogue systems
- Creatively iterate on the design and polishing the gameplay experience by collaborating closely with writers, animators, designers, and programmers
- General scripting support for the rest of the dialogue team such as, scripting global functions, debugging scripts, prototyping gameplay
- Give feedback on writing for systemic dialogue cohesion, consistency, and character arc
- Be a growing expert on features that you own
- Tasking and vetting mid-level to associate level team members
Requirements & Skills:
- 5+ years game audio experience with at least 1-2 shipped AAA credit
- Detailed understanding of audio timing, pacing, and flow
- Experience with scripting such as Lua, Python, etc.
- Strong programming skills (Computer Science undergraduate degree preferred) in C++, C#, etc.
- Enjoy being a teammate, open and collaborative
- Excellent communication skills; Able to give and request assistance with problems and issues across the development team
- Strong problem-solving skills; Able to accurately assess issues and formulate creative solutions, whether design or technical
- Outstanding organization and documentation skills; Able to work with large amounts of assets, provide clear naming convention and detailed tracking
- Extraordinary team attitude and being receptive to changes and direction in this dynamic atmosphere
Bonus Skills:
- Experience with linear/interactive narratives
- Experience with audio design/editing
- Knowledge of DAWs and/or digital audio theory
As a part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates will be expected to provide a portfolio or demo reel of their work and may be asked to complete a test.
Sony is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All persons will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender (including gender identity, gender expression, and gender reassignment), race (including color, nationality, ethnic, national origin), religion or belief, marital or civil partnership status, disability, age, sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity, trade union membership or membership in any other legally protected category.
We strive to create an inclusive environment, empower employees, and embrace diversity. We encourage everyone to respond.
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At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role’s base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location. Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.
In addition, this role may be eligible for bonus and SIE’s top-tier benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, matching 401(k), paid time off, wellness program and coveted employee discounts for Sony products.
Please note depending on employment type these benefits may vary.
The estimated base pay range for this role is listed below.
$101,400 — $152,200 USD
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