Remote Narrative Designer & Writer

Placements24; Pretoria; Hybrid; ZAR 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Flexible schedule

Professional development

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a Remote Narrative Designer & Writer for its story-rich game projects. You will craft plots, develop characters, and write dialogue that drives immersive worlds.

This fully remote role within South Africa emphasizes collaboration with a distributed team, delivering narrative cohesion across gameplay, quests, and localization.

Join us to shape emotional arcs from your home office and contribute innovative ideas for narrative elements.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Narrative Designer or Writer with shipped titles.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading with a strong portfolio.
• Deep understanding of narrative structures and interactive storytelling.
• Excellent communication and ability to work remotely within SA.

Responsibilities

• Develop overarching narrative frameworks, plots, and backstories.
• Write dialogue, quest text, item descriptions, and in-game narrative content.
• Collaborate with designers to integrate narrative into gameplay.
• Create and maintain narrative design docs and story outlines.
• Ensure tone, voice, and lore consistency across the game.
• Coordinate with voice actors and localization teams.
• Contribute ideas for storyboarding, cinematics, player experience.
• Iterate narratives based on playtesting feedback.

Skills

Narrative Design

Story Writing

Character Development

Dialogue Writing

Collaboration

Remote Work

Job description

About the Role

Our client, an innovative and rapidly growing independent game studio celebrated for its story-rich experiences, is seeking a talented Remote Narrative Designer & Writer to contribute to their unique projects. This position is fully remote, allowing you to work from anywhere within South Africa. You will be instrumental in crafting compelling narratives, developing rich characters, and writing engaging dialogue that immerses players in our game worlds. The ideal candidate possesses a masterful command of language, a keen understanding of interactive storytelling, and the ability to collaborate effectively with a distributed development team. We are looking for someone who can weave intricate plots, create believable characters, and ensure narrative cohesion across all aspects of the game design. If you are passionate about storytelling and eager to shape the emotional core of our games from your home office, this is the role for you.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop overarching narrative frameworks, plot structures, and character backstories.
• Write high-quality dialogue, quest text, item descriptions, and other in-game narrative content.
• Collaborate with game designers and level designers to integrate narrative elements seamlessly into gameplay mechanics and level progression.
• Create and maintain narrative design documentation, including bibles, character profiles, and story outlines.
• Ensure consistency in tone, voice, and lore throughout the game.
• Work closely with voice actors and localization teams to ensure the narrative is effectively translated and performed.
• Provide creative input on storyboarding, cinematics, and overall player experience from a narrative perspective.
• Participate in brainstorming sessions and contribute innovative ideas for narrative elements.
• Adapt and iterate on narrative content based on feedback from playtesting and team reviews.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Narrative Designer or Writer in the video game industry, with shipped titles demonstrating narrative depth.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and proofreading skills with a strong portfolio of narrative work.
• Deep understanding of narrative structures, character development, and interactive storytelling principles.
• Familiarity with game development processes and tools.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, crucial for a remote role.
• Ability to manage multiple writing tasks and meet deadlines in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision, ideally based within South Africa.
• Experience with narrative design tools or engines is a plus.
• A passion for games and a strong creative vision.

Benefits

This fully remote position offers a competitive salary, flexible working hours, and the opportunity to work on ambitious projects without the need to relocate. Our client provides a supportive virtual work environment, regular team sync-ups, and encourages continuous learning and professional development. Join our remote team and help us tell unforgettable stories.