Senior Narrative Writer (Temp)

We’re seeking a contract Narrative Writer for a 12-week engagement to help  define the story of a new, unannounced cozy life sim built on an iconic, globally loved brand. You’ll write for a young adult audience (core 19–35) in a grounded, cozy town, where the tone is light, humorous, and ironic with a few intentional, heartfelt beats. This is a writing role, not an implementation role: you’ll own the story outline, cast, opening experience, and early dialogue and quest scripts, and our game designers will bring them into the engine. 

What You’ll Do 

• Shape the Story Outline: Create a story outline deck plus an extended doc version. Land a strong opening hook, a clear antagonist, and 1–2 core villains with complex, reasonable motivations. 

• Build the Cast: Create a first-pass list of town NPCs with metadata and a town registrar. 

• Write Character Briefs: Develop 5 detailed character briefs for key townsfolk. 

• Draft the Opening Experience: Write a detailed first draft of the first-time user experience  story. 

• Write Dialogue and Quest Scripts: Write a handful of mid-game dialogue scripts and 1–2 simple quest scripts for our vertical slice area, ready for a  game designer to implement. 

• Hold the Tone: Keep writing light, witty, and hopeful

• Collaborate and Iterate: Partner with production and design leads, take feedback quickly, and revise to meet brand partner guidelines. 

Who You Are 

• A Game Writer: You have professional writing credits on at least one game.
• You’re a writer first; engine implementation is not required.
• Life Sim Literate: You understand cozy and life sim games such as Stardew
• Valley, Palia, Animal Crossing, and Disney Dreamlight Valley, and how story drives their progression. 

• Brand Enthusiast: You’re genuinely excited to write for an iconic, aspirational brand. 

• Funny with Heart: You write sitcom-style banter, irony, and situational humor, and can land a serious beat without tipping into darkness. 

• Concise: You write tight, readable dialogue within strict length limits.
• Brand-Safe: You use sound judgment on tone and themes when writing within licensed IP guardrails. 

• Self-Starter: You thrive in early, ambiguous development and deliver organized, high-quality docs on a fast 12-week timeline.

• Strong Communicator: You articulate story decisions clearly and give and receive feedback well. 

• Nice to Have
• A deep understanding of games, including how narrative ties into quests, careers, and relationship systems. 

• Experience writing for licensed IP and working through licensor reviews.
• Experience writing for short in-engine cinematics and voice-over.
• Experience writing for a young adult, primarily female audience.