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Sr Narrative Designer
2 years ago
Archetype Entertainment is a new game studio in Austin, Texas led by industry veterans from BioWare and other AAA studios. Archetype is a division of Wizards of the Coast (Hasbro). We are building a development team with world-class talent to create a new science fiction universe for our first multiplatform roleplaying video game.
Our goal is to create the greatest story-focused roleplaying games in the world.
At Archetype, we believe there will always be a place for story-focused roleplaying games that put the player at the center of an epic personal narrative with impactful choices. We also believe that game studios should empower top developers and challenge them with ambitious projects that are shaped by a strong, clearly communicated creative vision.
We chose Austin because it is a great place to live and work. Austin is the capital of Texas and is a fast-growing city with a vibrant music scene, cosmopolitan culture, a world-class university (the University of Texas at Austin -- “Hook ‘em Horns!”), and scenic rolling hills. It was recently voted the #1 place to live in America for the third year in a row — based on affordability, job prospects, and quality of life.
The Role
Archetype Entertainment seeks a passionate, experienced, and team-oriented Sr Narrative Designer to help us build an epic roleplaying game. In this role, you'll be responsible for the game’s core narrative systems and for the implementation of complex branching storylines.
The ideal candidate has proven experience working with branching dialogue tools and quest systems on AAA titles, understands the organizational challenges of bringing nuanced branching stories and roleplaying spaces to life, and serves as a champion for player agency in an epic science fiction story with a diverse cast of characters.
What You'll Do
- Drive core narrative systems from concept to ship, including quest scripting tools, action stations, roleplaying hubs, and other IP-specific story features with AAA presentation.
- Build comprehensive plans to track the impact of player choices across the game and work with QA to build effective testing strategies for the story and narrative systems.
- Work closely with the Creative Director and with Level Design to enhance environmental storytelling and reward the player’s choices via narrative systems.
- Collaborate with other teams to ensure that relevant parties are involved and informed throughout development.
- Build and maintain documentation for all owned features.
- Regularly play-test and provide constructive feedback, with a special focus on enhancing storytelling, and ensuring that gameplay is aligned with the story's vision.
- Current with industry trends and competitor games.
What You'll Bring
- 5+ years of experience as a Sr. Narrative or Level Designer
- Shipped 2 or more AAA titles with meaningful contributions to story and level design.
- Must have expertise in at least 2 of the following: Quest systems, branching dialogue, spawning systems, action stations.
- Experience working in Unreal or other modern game engines.
- Experience maintaining complex branching stories.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Self-sufficient and self-motivated.
We are an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
The above is intended to describe the general content of and the requirements for satisfactory performance in this position. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of the duties, responsibilities, or requirements of the position.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
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