Job Title:

Narrative Director, Unannounced Title

Requisition ID:

R025754

Job Description:

At Blizzard, we craft genre-defining games and legendary worlds for all to share. Through unparalleled creativity and storytelling, we create immersive universes and iconic characters that are beloved across platforms, borders, backgrounds, and generations - only made possible by building a work environment that nurtures the artistry of game development and unleashes the aspirations of our people.

As the Narrative Director, you'd be joining a world-class team to be instrumental in the leadership and storytelling of the game’s vision. This position will be responsible for establishing and driving the development of the overall story, characters, and setting in collaboration with the creative director and game director. This highly collaborative position will work with all disciplines to help define how the story is integrated. This Narrative Director will explore new ways to deliver unique, rich, and exciting stories, defining the narrative vision and how we communicate our worlds and stories to players.

Responsibilities:

Build and lead a team of writers in crafting the themes, stories, characters and moments that inhabit the game world.

Collaborate to establish, communicate, and champion the narrative direction for the game both internally and externally.
Build a robust understanding of our game world, characters, and lore, serving as a key resource for others on the team.
Ensure alignment with the creative vision when developing the main characters and vital narrative elements from the conception phase to the release of the game.
Guide the ideation process to develop storylines, characters, and narrative systems.
Collaborate with different teams (level designers, game designers, artists, animators, audio designers, etc.) to ensure that all the narrative elements are correctly integrated.
Unify narrative goals with gameplay goals and structure.

Ensure the quality of the script, scene breakdowns, and final edits of the scenes and cinematics.
Contribute to the blueprint and design process that ensures the narrative scenes and cinematics cohesively integrate into the gameplay.
Participate in defining the themes and tones that support the game’s creative vision.
Support and encourage a mindset of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the games we create.

Qualifications:

15+ years of experience in narrative and design, or applicable combination of education and experience.
4+ years experience leading creative teams in gaming.
Deep understanding of narrative structure, creative writing, and production, with extensive hands-on experience in game development.
Shipped at least one AAA project as either a narrative lead, lead writer or narrative director.
Excellent organizational skills and ability to work well under deadlines.
Play and have knowledge of modern video game storytelling techniques.
A team-oriented approach to your work, understanding the importance of collaboration, and partnering with all departments.

Your Platform

Best known for iconic video game universes including Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, and StarCraft®, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard, which was acquired by Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment experiences. Blizzard Entertainment has created some of the industry’s most critically acclaimed and genre-defining games over the last 30 years, with a track record that includes multiple Game of the Year awards. Blizzard Entertainment engages tens of millions of players around the world with titles available on PC via Battle.net®, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We’re driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, Crash Bandicoot™, Tony Hawk’s™ Pro Skater™, and Guitar Hero®. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our “press start” is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We’re not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we’re forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.

We’re in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater — this could be your opportunity to level up.

Ready to Activate Your Future?

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

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, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $134,000.00 - $247,900.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role’s range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.

Narrative Director, Unannounced Title

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