Technical Narrative Designer - Gears of War - The Coalition

Microsoft • Vancouver, BC

1d • $85,000 - $166,800

About The Position

The Coalition is a flagship first-party studio within Xbox Game Studios and the home to one of gaming’s most critically and commercially acclaimed series, Gears of War. We are a group of diverse and talented individuals working for a common purpose to push the limits of Microsoft's entertainment platform and devices. As a studio, we lead from our values and work together to promote respect and inclusion, a growth mindset and grit, all while putting our team first. If you have the fire to work with our driven team, then come work with us. As a Technical Narrative Designer you will help us ideate, prototype, implement, and polish innovative story-based experiences. You will be a key contributor to the execution of a game story and development of narrative systems in campaign and multiplayer modes. Reporting to the Lead Narrative Designer, you will collaborate closely with other designers, developers, and artists across the studio to help ensure seamless integration of story and gameplay.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Writing, Behavioral Science, Data Science, Game Design, or related field AND 2+ years experience in game development and design, systems design, content production, or related field OR Associate's Degree in Computer Science, Art, Writing, Behavioral Science, Game Design, or related field AND 4+ years experience in game development and design, systems design, content production, or related field OR equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

• Shipped at least 1 title in a technical design role (such as narrative, mission design, gameplay design).
• Proficient experience with a major game engine and a firm knowledge of visual scripting. Unreal/Blueprint experience is a plus.
• Comfortable with rapid prototyping to test the feasibility of new gameplay features and tools.
• Conscientious knowledge of industry trends in interactive storytelling, with a genuine interest in creatively advancing the medium.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with game designers, animators, and engineers to execute on narrative goals through gameplay systems and dialogue/cinematics tools.
• Work closely with campaign, art, and level design teams to drive environmental storytelling and narrative goals throughout the game.
• Implement narrative content in engine according to project standards, including Live Ops.
• Provide feedback and guidance on how to best manage and integrate narrative content (speech, text) in the systems.
• Write and keep up to date documentation for tools and gameplay systems.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree