Narrative Designer

Fanatics Collectibles•Seattle, WA

10h

About The Position

Fanatics Collectibles is building the future of trading card games. The Fanatics TCG studio is focused on creating original worlds that are designed to live for decades — expressed through gameplay, art, story, and collectible objects. Our ambition is to build franchises that are not only widely played, but deeply felt. We are seeking a Narrative Designer to help shape the worlds, characters, and stories that define our games. This is not a role focused solely on writing text. It is a role about building worlds — establishing the underlying logic, tone, and emotional core of new universes, and ensuring that every part of the player experience reflects that foundation. You will work closely with Creative, Game Design, and Art to develop narrative systems that live inside the cards themselves — where mechanics, visuals, and story reinforce one another. The ideal candidate brings strong storytelling instincts, a systems mindset, and a passion for creating worlds that players want to return to again and again.

Requirements

3+ years of experience in narrative design, writing, or worldbuilding for games, publishing, or related media.
Strong ability to develop original worlds, characters, and narrative frameworks.
Experience working in collaborative, cross-functional environments.
Ability to balance creative vision with system constraints.
Excellent writing skills across both short-form (e.g., flavor text) and long-form (e.g., lore, story guides).
Passion for fantasy, sci-fi, and worldbuilding-driven storytelling.

Nice To Haves

Experience working on trading card games, tabletop games, or live service games.
Background in fantasy or sci-fi writing.
Familiarity with how narrative can be expressed through game systems and mechanics.
Experience contributing to original IP or franchise development.

Responsibilities

Build Worlds That Can Sustain a Franchise
Develop the foundational lore, cosmology, and narrative structure of new TCG worlds.
Define factions, cultures, characters, and conflicts that can evolve over many sets and years.
Help establish the tone, themes, and emotional identity of each franchise.
Integrate Story with Game and Product
Partner with Game Design to ensure that mechanics and narrative reinforce each other.
Collaborate with Art and Creative teams to align on visual storytelling and world cohesion.
Contribute to the development of set themes, narrative arcs, and character moments.
Design Narrative Systems for Cards
Develop approaches for how story is expressed through card names, flavor text, mechanics, and set structure.
Ensure that narrative is discoverable through play and collection, not just external content.
Help define how narrative evolves across releases and expansions.
Create and Support Narrative Content
Write flavor text, card names, and supporting narrative content.
Contribute to world guides, story bibles, and internal documentation.
Support external storytelling efforts (e.g., web content, marketing beats, potential media extensions).
Collaborate Across the Studio
Work closely with Creative, Design, Product, and Marketing teams to ensure narrative consistency.
Participate in early ideation, helping shape concepts before they become fully defined.
Provide feedback that elevates the coherence and emotional impact of the world.