Narrative Designer for Visual Novel

About the role

This role focuses on the core narrative development for a psychological horror/drama visual novel. The designer will be responsible for creating and maintaining the story, writing all scenes and dialogues, and planning the pacing of the overall narrative and character arcs. A key part of the work involves ensuring the project's tone and integrity are consistent throughout its development.

The Narrative Designer will work closely with the broader development team, including artists and programmers. This collaboration extends to discussing game features, contributing to pipeline discussions, and formulating clear briefs for other team members. The role also involves using AI tools for prototyping narrative ideas and scenes, indicating a modern approach to game development.

Success in this position means delivering a compelling and well-structured narrative that aligns with the project's genre and themes. It requires an ability to adapt to production constraints and deadlines while effectively communicating narrative requirements and ideas to the team. The studio is looking for a long-term collaborator, suggesting an opportunity to contribute to multiple projects.

The salary for this full-time remote position starts at $80,000 USD.

Skills that matter here

• structuring information and documentation: This skill is crucial for organizing narrative elements and project details effectively.
• production processes in games: An understanding of game production helps in planning narrative development and collaborating with the team.
• storytelling in visual novels: This is a core requirement for crafting engaging and appropriate narratives for the project's format.
• modern internet culture, anime, and game narrative: Interest in these areas helps in developing relevant and appealing content for the target audience.
• working with neural networks as a prototyping tool: This skill is used for quickly generating and testing scene ideas and narrative concepts.
• Unity: Experience with this engine is beneficial for understanding game implementation, though not strictly required.

Who this role suits

• A person who can clearly articulate complex narrative ideas and provide structured documentation.
• Someone who thrives in a collaborative environment, regularly engaging with artists and programmers.
• An individual who understands the specific demands of visual novel storytelling and can adapt to production limitations.
• A candidate with a genuine interest in psychological horror, anime, and modern internet culture.

From the employer

• Develop and maintain the narrative part of the project
• Write scenes, dialogues, and narrative structure
• Plan the pacing of the narrative and character development
• Collaborate with the team on game features
• Formulate clear briefs for artists and programmers
• Work with AI tools for prototyping scenes and ideas
• Participate in discussions on game pipelines and scope solutions
• Help maintain the integrity and tone of the project

• Good skills in structuring information and documentation
• Understanding of production processes in games
• Ability to adapt to constraints and deadlines
• Understanding of storytelling in visual novels
• Interest in modern internet culture, anime, and game narrative
• Ability to clearly articulate thoughts and tasks for the team
• Skills in working with neural networks as a prototyping tool

Nice to Have

• Experience with Unity
• Experience working on visual novels or story-driven projects
• Understanding of game pipelines
• Experience interacting with artists and programmers
• Understanding of scope management and production limitations

• Long-term employment
• Full-time collaboration
• We are looking for someone not just for one project, but for a long-term perspective.