Senior Writer/Narrative Designer (Contract) (Game Narrative)

Location: Candidates local to Bellevue, Washington are currently prioritized, with occasional onsite collaboration.

Pay: $49.05–$73.57 per hour, with overtime pay when applicable.

Company

hirify.global develops and publishes the Guild Wars game series and is working on Guild Wars 3.

What you will do

• Design, write, revise, implement, and edit narrative content for Guild Wars 3, from episodic events and systemic dialogue to character-driven stories.
• Develop IP, story arcs, and character arcs in collaboration with Narrative, Cinematics, Design, and other disciplines.
• Write in-game dialogue while maintaining established tones and distinct character voices.
• Participate in story-breaking sessions and writers’ room workshops with project leadership and other writers.
• Create episode and act summaries and other documentation for cross-disciplinary development.
• Design interactive storytelling systems using environmental props, character interactions, systemic dialogue, and in-engine content.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in literature, creative writing, screenwriting, or a related field, or equivalent education, training, and experience.
• At least 5 years of professional writing or copyediting experience, including 2 years developing MMORPGs and open-world games.
• Experience shipping AAA-quality products or equivalent non-game work in a writing or editing capacity.
• Strong dramatic writing, copyediting, communication, and organizational skills.
• Understanding of interactive and non-linear storytelling, serialized story development, character creation, story arcs, dialogue, gameplay systems, and narrative game systems.
• Experience with Unreal Engine, proprietary content tools, Final Draft or Microsoft Word, and The Chicago Manual of Style.

Nice to have

• Experience writing for games and at least one other narrative medium, such as screenwriting, playwriting, or prose.
• Experience with video game narratives, especially MMOs.

Culture & Benefits

• Six-month hourly contract position with overtime pay when applicable.
• Benefits eligibility through a third-party employer.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) and flexible or dependent care accounts.
• Opportunity to advocate for diverse perspectives, characters, and representation in games.