Blackbird Interactive is a creative-fueled, future-driven, independent game studio where the best talent in the industry can find long-term careers to help grow their abilities while working on a wide range of projects, which encompass world-class IPs as well as our own creations across multiple genres.
In 2022, we announced that our studio is implementing a four-day work week as well as supporting in-studio, remote within Canada, and hybrid work arrangements as permanent options to our employees.
Blackbird Interactive is looking for a Senior Narrative Designer to join our growing studio. We have an exciting project and are looking for a key hire to lend a hand in the development and execution of a single-player focused and narrative-driven shooter/action game.
Do you want to build compelling game worlds and stories? Do you want to work closely with team leadership and publishers to ensure the creative vision for narrative is achieved? Do you enjoy working with a team of talented designers, artists and programmers to create ambitious in-game content? If so, this role could be for you!
Responsibilities:
- Work with the publisher and team leaders to help define and deliver on the creative vision. Escalate and discuss any narrative/gameplay discrepancies with this group.
- Work with production staff to ensure that vision can be achieved on time/on budget.
- Communicate intention, vision and design of the game narrative to a wide range of other disciplines.
- Write story treatments, character bios, VO dialogue, cinematic scripts, casting documents, world-building backstories, and other support materials as needed.
- Work closely with level designers to merge narrative with gameplay. In doing so, you will write mission dialogue that serves the needs of the level designers while championing the story in order to deliver a consistent and robust narrative.
- Understand story requirements and deliver on the essential story and gameplay goals.
- Respond to feedback from creative leadership, design, audio, and production to enhance the narrative, clarify concerns, and facilitate the development process.
- Understand gameplay elements and assess how they could affect the development of the story. Present collaborative solutions for adjustments as conflicts arise.
Requirements:
- 5+ years of game development experience as a writer or narrative designer.
- Shipped at least one game title, ideally, an action game, working either as a narrative designer or game writer.
- Understand the process of both game and narrative development, including how audio, art, level design and other disciplines can affect the narrative and how they can be effectively leveraged to deliver a more comprehensive and engaging story.
- Knowledge of games and interactive storytelling, character development, scriptwriting, and user engagement. You must not only play video games but understand them as a dramatic form.
- Self-direction and a proven ability to thrive in a highly dynamic and technical environment.
- Strong interdisciplinary & collaboration skills, including verbal and written skills.
- Excellent creative writing abilities.
- Writing samples, as requested, that exemplify a skill level and proficiency of craft that specifically speaks to the position under consideration.
Pluses:
- An innovator's heart, keen to create brand new things that haven't been done before.
- Technical experience in setting up audio and narrative triggers/hooks in game.
- Experience in the production stage of a large-scale project.
- Demonstrated passion for storytelling in associated mediums (i.e. movies, novels, comics, etc.).
- Experience with shooters and action games.
