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Writer (Temporary Assignment)

Writer (Temporary Assignment)

This position is for a temporary engagement through our staffing partner DZConnex.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States for this position.

Summary:

For over 30 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Our most recent game, The Last of Us Part II, has received over 300 Game of the Year awards and three of our games are among the top 10 highest scored games on the PlayStation 4. As a part of the Naughty Dog legacy, you’ll become a part of continuing the development of extraordinary and enduring experiences for a broad, global range of audiences.

We are now seeking an experienced writer to join our growing Narrative team.

The ideal candidate has proven experience crafting riveting, character-driven stories. They must possess a strong grasp of narrative structure, a keen ear for dialogue, and a solid understanding of interactive storytelling techniques.

As part of the Naughty Dog application process, candidates may be asked to complete a writing test.

Responsibilities:

• Work directly with others on the Narrative team to develop compelling stories and memorable characters for our upcoming projects
• Write cutscene and gameplay dialogue, found narrative, systemic dialogue, and supporting narrative content for various game systems
• Work closely with the Design team to develop and iterate on narrative delivery methods and provide support for design elements
• Collaborate with teams across every discipline to help create a cohesive narrative experience
• Track and review the implementation of your work in the game

Requirements & Skills:

• Previous professional work as a writer for games, film, television, or other related media is a must
• Good understanding of contemporary narrative design for games
• Adapting personal writing style to match the tone and character voices of our project
• Teamwork-oriented, willing to provide and receive constructive feedback
• Ability to turn around timely revisions based on internal feedback, including from other teams
• Capable of working with minimal supervision in a fast-paced creative environment
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Baseline familiarity with our internal IPs

Candidates must provide existing samples of their work for evaluation based on the guidelines below. Please include a Dropbox or Google Docs link to your writing samples in your resume and use the Website / Sample Work field in the application below.

Required:

• Please submit up to three (3) samples of your narrative work that best demonstrate your ability to write characters and dialogue. This can include both professional and personal work, though professional is more desirable. Screenplay format is preferred.
• You may also submit video/YouTube links to previously released material, up to ten (10) minutes total. Please provide timestamps and a statement detailing your contributions. One 10-minute link counts as one sample.
• Alternatively, you may provide a link to a portfolio website containing your writing samples or video links. If your website contains more than three samples, please tell us which three we should prioritize for our review. If it is password-protected, please remember to include the password with your submission; we will not contact you to ask for it.

Optional:

• If you choose to submit examples of systemic dialogue or barks, please put them in spreadsheet format and provide ample context.
• You may include samples of found narrative, lore, or worldbuilding documents, but please provide context.
• You may also provide links to interactive fiction projects created with Twine, Ink, or other narrative engines, but we strongly suggest you submit written material as well.
• Each submission of these formats counts towards the three-sample total.

Note: We expect to receive many applicants for this position. Where possible, please narrow the scope of your submissions to ensure we have time to thoroughly review your work.

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