Senior RPG Designer

Larian Studios; Warsaw (IN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Larian Studios in Indiana is seeking an RPG Designer to join the worldbuilding team and help craft the high-caliber games fans expect.

You will design narrative and gameplay content, shape world, stories and characters, and collaborate with other departments to translate narrative into engaging gameplay responsive to player actions.

This full-time, on-site role requires strong communication, planning, and an agile mindset to deliver memorable adventures.

Qualifications

• Lead a creative element of the game and coordinate across teams.
• Develop creative solutions to design problems without reinventing the wheel.
• Strong understanding of narrative beats and pacing.
• Understand player expectations and reactions to guide design decisions.
• Collaborate effectively in an agile environment with evolving needs.

Responsibilities

• Design narrative and gameplay content for an area of the game.
• Ensure clear, well-paced narrative flow across scenes and dialogue.
• Create solutions for quest design problems and implement them.
• Conduct progress reviews with other departments and refine towards quality.
• Write and update design documentation and communicate changes to teams.
• Consider how changes affect multiple departments and project priorities.
• Understand player motivations and feedback to improve gameplay.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Narrative design

Worldbuilding

Collaboration

Agile

Attention to detail

Digital literacy

Documentation

G Suite/Jira/Confluence

Tools

G Suite

Confluence

Jira

Job description

With multiple awards to our name, Larian Studios has proven that we’re dedicated to delivering high-quality role-playing games. As we move on to new projects, the studio that brought you Baldur’s Gate 3 & Divinity: Original Sin 2 is looking for an RPG Designer to join the worldbuilding team and help us in crafting the high caliber games our fans have come to expect.

As an RPG Designer you will be working with a team that shapes the world, stories and characters that make for memorable adventures. Working closely with the other departments, the RPG Designer helps transform narrative into fun gameplay that reacts to the player's actions in an impactful way.

Responsibilities

• Design narrative and gameplay content within an area of the game, take ownership of the area throughout implementation, and responsibility for its final quality.
• Ensure logical and well paced narrative flow in the combination of situations, dialogs and areas.
• Create solutions for quest design problems and follow their implementation.
• Conduct progress reviews for your area, gathering feedback from the other departments and working with them to reach the optimal finished state.
• Write and update documentation, communicate changes to the teams.
• Take a holistic approach when implementing changes to your region. Every decision will impact a range of departments, so you’ll need to take their limits and priorities into account.
• Understand player motivations and expectations.

Requirements

• The ability to take the lead of a creative element of the game, communicate with all parties involved, gather feedback, and sink their teeth into it until it's finished.
• The ability to come up with creative solutions to new problems, or identify issues that don't require reinventing the wheel.
• A strong understanding of narrative beats and pacing.
• The ability to imagine what it's like seeing the game for the first time every single day, you understand player expectations.
• The ability to observe players and learn from their actions and filter their feedback.
• A high level of digital literacy and can adapt quickly to new software and tools (G Suite, Confluence, Jira etc.)
• Attention to detail and undaunted by complexity and change
• A great collaborator, has excellent organization and communication skills.
• Comfortable in an agile environment with evolving needs
• This is a full-time, on-site role, requiring your presence in the office to support collaboration and creativity.

Nice to haves

• Has handled game engines, has programming skills or implementation experience.
• Has shipped games with a narrative focus
• Has extensive experience as both a player and maker of RPGs.
• Familiarity with Larian’s games and capable of emulating our distinctive style.

Traditionally we receive a high amount of interest in RPG Design positions so please bear with us if there is a delay in us getting back to you with news on your application.