Lead Writer

GSC Game World; United States; Remote; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

HellaGoodAudio is seeking a Lead Writer to own the script and narrative execution across quests, cutscenes, dialogue, and environmental text. You will lead a small writers' team while continuing to write, ensuring consistent canon and storytelling within strict production constraints.

You will collaborate with Quest and Level Design to translate outlines into branching quests with meaningful endings, and you will write for camera moments and non-verbal storytelling.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience writing for games, including at least one shipped title with quests.
• Experience leading or mentoring writers, including small teams.
• Ability to give clear and constructive feedback that improves the next draft.
• Experience building branching quests and understanding the purpose of each branch.
• Ability to use levels, environmental storytelling, objects, and other non-dialogue elements as narrative tools.
• Near-native written English.
• Ability to take notes and feedback from designers who are not writers, and push back when needed.

Responsibilities

• Own the script: main quests, side quests, characters, cutscenes, barks, item descriptions, environmental text, and other narrative content.
• Read and edit the script inside the engine.
• Lead a team of writers: help producers assign work and balance workload, review drafts, provide constructive notes, and hire as the team grows.
• Work with Quest and Level Design from the whiteboard stage.
• Turn the Story Director's outline into quests that branch, with endings that cost the player something either way.
• Write for the camera: cutscenes, scripted moments, and characters who do not communicate through words.
• Keep the canon. You're the person who knows why a name, a date or a god's title can't change on a whim.
• Write within hard limits such as line length, string budgets, and VO session length.

Skills

Story scripting

Leadership

Feedback

Branching quests

Non-dialogue storytelling

Localization awareness

Near-native English

Job description

Lead Writer

About the Role The Lead Writer is responsible for the writing and narrative execution of the game. You will lead a small team of writers while continuing to write yourself, owning the script across quests, cutscenes, dialogue, barks, item descriptions, and environmental text. You will ensure that the story is effectively communicated to the player through words, characters, spaces, memories, dreams, and scripted moments.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the script: main quests, side quests, characters, cutscenes, barks, item descriptions, environmental text, and other narrative content.
• Read and edit the script inside the engine.
• Lead a team of writers: help producers assign work and balance workload, review drafts, provide constructive notes, and hire as the team grows.
• Work with Quest and Level Design from the whiteboard stage.
• In collaboration with the Lead Narrative Designer, turn the Story Director's outline into quests that actually branch, with endings that cost the player something either way.
• Write for the camera: cutscenes, scripted moments, and characters who do not communicate through words.
• Keep the canon. You're the person who knows why a name, a date or a god's title can't change on a whim.
• Write within hard limits such as line length, string budgets, and VO session length, and ensure the team works within these constraints.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience writing for games, including at least one shipped title where you wrote quests, not just flavour text.
• Experience leading or mentoring writers, including small teams.
• Ability to give clear and constructive feedback that improves the next draft.
• Experience building branching quests and understanding the purpose of each branch.
• Ability to use levels, environmental storytelling, objects, and other non-dialogue elements as narrative tools.
• Near-native written English.
• Ability to take notes and feedback from designers who are not writers, and understand when to push back.

Nice to Have Experience working on a shipped action-adventure game. Dark fantasy in your shipped credits, or at least on your shelf. You've been through a full localization cycle.

Work Format Office — Prague. Office — Kyiv. Remote.

Hiring Steps Test task. Technical interview. Cultural interview.