Lead Narrative Designer – AAA Console & PC Games – London – Permanent

This vacancy may offer a work-from-home start until it’s safe to work in-house or relocate to the location.

Genre: AAA Console/PC Games

OPMs client is an independently owned studio on the outskirts of London, and they are all about crafting engaging multiplayer experiences. They are working on several high-profile projects for PC and Console and they need you!

They are seeking a talented Lead Narrative Designer who will be responsible for a team of narrative designers, working cohesively with Project Leadership and wider team, to see the project through to release.

REQUIREMENTS:

• Extensive experience in games and leadership experience on at least three shipped AAA current gen or last gen console or PC titles that featured vast narrative content.
• Ability to take direction, and quickly understand and act on stakeholder, publisher, and IP holder feedback.
• Experience with design documentation, diagram, and flow-chart creation.
• Experienced in writing to a high standard in all forms including: concept, research and design documents, blog posts, presentations, internal and external update and marketing videos, in-game tooltips, text logs, audio logs, VO barks, scripted scenes, storyboards, cinematic scripts, motion capture and performance capture scenes.
• Proven ability to build text and dialogue fitting a game’s world and tone.
• Ability to write concept briefs for other disciplines, particularly artists, programmers, and audio designers.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Collaborate with the Project Lead and other stakeholders to establish the narrative vision.
• Actively participate in the decision-making process with the project leadership team and communicate all decisions to the narrative team.
• Evaluate the workload and production capacity, plan work, and set priorities for the game’s narrative design team.
• Collaborate with production, oversee the allocation and tracking of work via Agile task-tracking systems such as JIRA.
• Communicate expectations of progress, quality, and alignment with the game vision, and any changes affecting the project.
• Manage, mentor and champion the project’s narrative design team and the personal and professional development of its members.
• Anticipate, prevent, and resolve personal and organisational conflicts and problems
• Oversee the creation, documentation, and standardization of systems to turn the narrative vision into a playable experience.
• Champion the player’s emotional engagement with the game’s setting, storyline, characters, and plot developments.
• Manage the collaboration with writers, game designers and cinematics artists to craft the main storyline for the game.
• Manage the implementation and maintenance of the storyline related mission logic, allowing for the game to progress between story beats in logical order.
• Manage the design of narrative-related elements within the game, including map and level content to identify storytelling requirements and opportunities.
• Work closely with character artists, environment artists and level designers to develop environmental and alternative storytelling methods.
• Oversee the management, briefing and editing of the work of external writers.
• Collaborate and communicate with stakeholders across the project to create a compelling journey for the player to explore.
• React swiftly to feedback on narrative-related elements, iterating to improve their quality.
• Oversee up-to-date documentation to guide the development team’s efforts.

BENEFITS:

• Private Medical and Dental Cover
• Onsite counselling
• Fully paid 30 weeks maternity leave & 10 weeks paternity leave
• Flexitime
• Staff have a total of 36 days off
• Enhanced company pension contributions
• Cycle to work and car leasing schemes

Interested in finding out more about the studio and project? Apply now or call me directly today on +44 (0) 1206 214415!

Tagged as: AAA, Agile, Narrative Design