GameName LLC is seeking a Narrative Game Designer to help design and structure an animated branching story game told entirely through visuals, sound effects, and music--no written dialogue, no voiceovers, no subtitles. Think interactive cartoons with rich character expression and playful, audiovisual storytelling.

You'll collaborate with the Creative Director, Unity developers, artists, animators, and audio professionals to shape each episodes pacing, emotional beats, choice structure, and scene logic. Your job is to map the story experience from start to finish--defining how players explore it, how choices play out, and how emotions and ideas are conveyed without words.

This is a part-time, remote role for someone with strong storytelling instincts and experience designing branching narrative games, animated sequences, or other story-rich interactive comedy experiences.

This is a pilot project for greenlighting a series of additional gaming episodes, meaning the timeframe for this contract is likely to be significantly extended, pending successful completion and market reception of the pilot project.

Responsibilities

• Design story flows and decision points using branching narrative structures
• Write visual narrative briefs that describe scenes, emotional beats, and transitions clearly for the art and dev teams
• Map out logic for player choices, consequences, and replay paths
• Collaborate closely with artists, developers, and audio team to ensure tone and pacing are communicated effectively
• Create diagrams, flowcharts, and documentation to support clear implementation
• Iterate on story structure based on creative direction and team feedback

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience designing narrative or story-rich games
• Strong understanding of non-verbal storytelling, visual humor, and timing
• Experience working with branching narratives or CYOA-style structures
• Excellent ability to communicate tone, intent, and scene goals to non-writers
• Ability to adapt ideas based on animation, gameplay, and audio constraints
• Comfort working remotely with a cross-disciplinary creative team

_(Candidates with animation, film/TV, or interactive narrative backgrounds are encouraged to apply if they can demonstrate experience with branching structures and visual storytelling.)_

Bonus Points

• Experience on animated or FMV-style interactive projects
• Familiarity with branching logic tools (even if not used directly in this project)
• Experience, education, or demonstrable knowledge in general game design principles (as they relate to narrative design).
• Strong visual or cinematic sensibility (timing, framing, emotional clarity)
• Background in comedy, children's media, or emotional storytelling
• Experience writing story beats for silent characters or pantomime storytelling
• Experience working on projects intended for broad global audience appeal

Contract Terms

• Type: Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA)
• Hours: Part-Time (10-20 hrs/week), flexible schedule
• Rate: $30-50/hr USD, depending on experience, skills, region
• Trial Period: Initial one month evaluation phase
• Contract Duration: Project-based, with potential for extension

Perks & Culture

• Remote flexibility and asynchronous collaboration
• Playful, story-rich project with high creative potential
• Work alongside talented artists, developers, and audio pros
• Backed by a major content creator with marketing reach and production support
• Opportunity to shape a unique series that mixes animation, games, and comedy

How to Apply

Please send us the following:

1. A short personal intro plus your answer to this question: What makes you a great fit for this project, and how do you approach non-verbal storytelling?

2. Your resume and any relevant links (LinkedIn, portfolio, credits, narrative design docs, etc.)

3. One or two examples of your best narrative design work--ideally showcasing branching structures, interactive storytelling, or visually-driven scenes. Be sure to explain your role and the reasoning behind your design decisions.