Story Intern - Undergraduate

Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. (Japan); Burbank (CA); On-site; USD 41,000 - 59,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Insomniac Games in Burbank, CA is seeking a Writing Intern to help shape the stories, characters, and dialogue for AAA game production. You’ll work with experienced writers and learn the Insomniac writing process for games.

Throughout the 12-week internship, you’ll develop story outlines, character arcs, and in-game dialogue, with mentorship and hands-on experience in a collaborative game development environment that could earn you a game credit.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing a degree in Writing, Game Design, or equivalent.
• Six to twelve months of related experience and/or training is beneficial but not required for currently enrolled students.
• Strong critical thinking and writing skills, with the ability to develop, evaluate, and refine creative ideas.
• A creative, self-motivated, and responsible approach to learning and completing assigned work.
• Passion for writing video games, with an interest in storytelling, character development, and collaborative game production.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with the writing team to develop and outline stories through "Breaking story" sessions.
• Create character arcs and one-sheets to support casting, art reference, and character development.
• Write cinematic dialogue and participate in mocap/p-cap sessions to learn how storytelling translates into game production.
• Develop in-game dialogue and attend voice-over sessions to understand how written content is brought to life.
• Review scripts, provide constructive feedback, and revise writing based on creative direction and team input.
• Create documents and presentations to communicate story ideas, character development, and narrative direction to other teams.
• Maintain and organize online documentation to support the writing process and collaboration across departments.
• Gain hands-on experience with the Insomniac process for writing for games while developing your creative writing, storytelling, and collaboration skills.

Skills

Strong writing skills

Interest in storytelling

Collaboration

Education

Pursuing degree in Writing or Game Design

Undergraduate student

Job description

Job ID: R-125856

Role Summary:

Join the writing team at Insomniac Games and gain hands-on experience developing stories, characters, and dialogue for AAA video game production.

As a Writing Intern, you'll collaborate with experienced writers and creative teams to help shape the stories and characters that bring games to life. You'll contribute to story development, cinematic and in-game dialogue, and creative documentation while learning the Insomniac process for writing for games.

Throughout the internship, you'll receive mentorship from senior team members, strengthen your storytelling and writing skills, and gain practical experience in a collaborative game development environment. You'll also have the opportunity to contribute to a AAA game production and earn a game credit for your resume.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Collaborate with the writing team to develop and outline stories through "Breaking story" sessions.
• Create character arcs and one-sheets to support casting, art reference, and character development.
• Write cinematic dialogue and participate in mocap/p-cap sessions to learn how storytelling translates into game production.
• Develop in-game dialogue and attend voice-over sessions to understand how written content is brought to life.
• Review scripts, provide constructive feedback, and revise writing based on creative direction and team input.
• Create documents and presentations to communicate story ideas, character development, and narrative direction to other teams.
• Maintain and organize online documentation to support the writing process and collaboration across departments.
• Gain hands-on experience with the Insomniac process for writing for games while developing your creative writing, storytelling, and collaboration skills.

What We're Looking For:

• Currently pursuing a degree in Writing, Game Design, or equivalent.
• Six to twelve months of related experience and/or training is beneficial but not required for currently enrolled students.
• Strong critical thinking and writing skills, with the ability to develop, evaluate, and refine creative ideas.
• A creative, self-motivated, and responsible approach to learning and completing assigned work.
• Passion for writing video games, with an interest in storytelling, character development, and collaborative game production.

Eligibility:

• Students with expected graduation between May 2026 and December 2029 from an accredited university. Undergraduate
• Able to work during one of the following periods: May 17th - August 6th or June 14th - September 3rd. Relocation assistance is available for eligible candidates.
• Must be available for the entire 12-week internship period.

At this time, SIE will only consider applicants who are authorized to work for any employer in the United States and who will not require work visa sponsorship from SIE now or in the future to maintain their authorization to work in the United States.

Our intern positions offer a fixed hourly pay rate. Please note that the pay rate is exclusive to the internship period and may not reflect what pay may look like following the completion of an internship.

At SIE, we consider several factors when setting each role's base pay range, including the competitive benchmarking data for the market and geographic location.
Please note that the base pay range may vary in line with our hybrid working policy and individual base pay will be determined based on job-related factors which may include knowledge, skills, experience, and location.

Intern Pay Range

$36.50 - $36.50 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

Please refer to ourCandidate Privacy Noticefor more information about what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and your data protection rights.