Senior Narrative Designer
At Turtle Rock, we make the games we want to play. We're dedicated to providing a collaborative environment where our team members feel empowered with the creative freedom to contribute and grow. While we are based in Orange County, CA, we support flexible work arrangements ranging from in-studio, hybrid, to fully remote throughout North America. Join our award-winning game development team and help create our next AAA title.
We are seeking a Senior Narrative Designer to join our Mission Design team here at Turtle Rock Studios. The Senior Narrative Designer is a pivotal role for a storytelling expert who thrives at the intersection of narrative and gameplay. This designer helps bring missions to life with emotional impact, immersive context, and player-driven choices.
As part of the Mission Design team, you'll collaborate with level designers, writers, gameplay designers, and engineers to embed meaningful storytelling into every mission moment—not just in cutscenes, but in moment-to-moment gameplay. This position will report to the Lead Mission Designer.
Responsibilities
- Design and implement narrative content directly into mission gameplay using Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprints
- Collaborate closely with mission designers to ensure every mission delivers emotional stakes, character progression, and worldbuilding alongside gameplay objectives
- Develop and maintain mission-specific narrative documentation, including dialogue trees, emotional beats, branching choices, and narrative flow charts
- Script dynamic in-game narrative elements such as:
- Dialogue triggers
- Environmental storytelling
- Interactive narrative events
- Choice-driven outcomes
- Maintain narrative consistency across the project and contribute to the overall story arc, tone, and lore
- Partner with cinematics, VO, gameplay, and world teams to ensure seamless narrative integration
- Participate in playtests, analyze player feedback, and iterate to enhance narrative immersion and pacing
- Mentor junior team members and help establish narrative best practices within the mission pipeline
- Iterate based on playtest feedback, narrative pacing, and player experience
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in narrative design with at least one shipped AAA game
- Strong portfolio showing mission-based narrative integration and playable examples or breakdowns
- Hands-on experience with Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprint scripting (not just for prototyping, but functional in-game implementation)
- Proven ability to collaborate cross-discipline and drive narrative quality within gameplay-focused teams
- Deep understanding of narrative systems, emotional pacing, and interactive storytelling
- Experience with branching narratives, choice consequence systems, or dynamic storytelling tools
- Familiarity with VO pipelines, localization, and dialogue implementation
- Screenwriting, creative writing, or mission scripting background in FPS, action-adventure, or open-world games
- Passion for storytelling through environmental details, gameplay, and player agency
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
Benefits
Some of the benefits and perks our employees get to enjoy, include:
- 100% Medical, Dental, Vision Coverage for you and your family
- 401k Matching
- Student Loan Repayment Plan / College Savings Plan
- Career Improvement Plan
- Flexible Work Arrangements - In-House, Hybrid, and Remote
- Generous Time Off Policy
- Company Events - In-Person + Virtual Events
- Fully Stocked Kitchen + Sponsored Food Trucks
The estimated base pay range for this role is: $120,000 - $160,000 USD
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
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