As a Narrative Designer III on the Unpublished R&D Project, you will take ownership of all components of the game that bring narrative and character to life. Your role will be to establish and populate narrative systems that bring our world and characters to life in a way that enriches the Project’s gameplay and progression.
In joining this Unpublished R&D project, you will excel at building a game’s narrative foundations by designing and iterating on the game’s narrative systems, setting the game’s voice and tone, and communicating with diverse teams.
You’ll use your design skills to create systems that provide narrative and character satisfaction throughout the project’s in-game and metagame experiences. Your craft as a writer will allow you to create a story that gives meaning to the player’s actions and then to populate it with compelling events and dialogue. You will create gameplay moments and implement your narrative design with attention to every detail of the player experience. You’ll work with a diverse team to make the most of every storytelling opportunity. Finally, your overall design skills mean you’ll contribute to a broad array of design projects to achieve a high degree of thematic resonance across the project. You will report directly to the Lead Designer.
For this role, you’ll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players’ experiences, this could be your role!
Responsibilities
- Design and scope narrative systems for the project’s in-game experiences that deliver on character, enemy, and teamplay fantasies
- Integrate narrative into the project’s metagame experiences to make player progression feel rewarding
- Work with Art and Design leadership to determine the game’s setting and theme
- Fully own the process of executing all writing for the project at a shippable quality including identifying editorial needs and seeking out feedback
- Set the tone and style for the project such that it matches the expectations of the world itself and meets the player experience goals
Required Qualifications
- 6+ years of experience in a game narrative role
- Deep level of understanding, passion, and engagement with RNG-heavy experiences (Roguelikes, BRs, CCGs) and/or strongly-themed systemic games (strategy games, 4x games)
- Experience working with IP and creative partners across teams to navigate IP conflicts
- Comfort writing for a range of outputs including triggers, text dialogue, VO, prose narration, and other in-game copy including working with other disciplines to maximize narrative delivery.
- Expertise with a broad array of design projects, especially those that provide a high degree of thematic resonance. Examples include metagame systems, non-combat encounters, and quest design.
Desired Qualifications
- Experience scripting in a game engine
- Experience creating game content unrelated to narrative features
- Experience working on a pre-production project or comfort with a rapidly evolving project
- Experience telling episodic or seasonal stories, e.g. game expansions or game seasons
Our Perks:
Riot has a focus on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy, in addition to other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.
Riot Games fosters a player and workplace experience that values teamwork embodied by the Summoner’s Code and Community Code . Our culture embraces differences as a strength, and our values are the guiding principles for how we approach work. We are committed to putting diversity and inclusion (D&I) at the center of everything we do, and promoting a fair and collaborative culture where Rioters treat one another with dignity and respect. We encourage you to read more about our value of thriving together and our ongoing work to build the most inclusive company in Gaming .
- (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $140,100.00 – $195,700.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.
It’s our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance relating to an applicant’s criminal history (LAMC 189.00).