Cutscene Designer - Contract

Position Summary:

As the Cutscene Designer, you bring a strong understanding of narrative and cinematography to help implement and elevate engaging story content. You’ll collaborate with the Narrative, Design, and Art teams in bringing gameplay and narrative cutscenes to life through thoughtful staging, camera work, and visual storytelling. 

Using your artistic sensibility and technical expertise, you’ll help establish tone, mood, atmosphere, and depth, enhancing the player experience through striking composition and cinematic flair. You’ll work within game engines to integrate cutscenes and dialogue with gameplay moments, ensuring consistent, high-quality storytelling that resonates with players while identifying opportunities to improve pacing, clarity, narrative, and gameplay flow through cinematography.

Note: This is a 6-month full-time contract position, with the possibility of extension or transition into a regular full-time role.

About Us:

Our mission is to craft retro-infused JRPGs that awaken cherished childhood memories. We’re growing the studio by assembling a dream team of talent from across the globe. Join us on this epic quest to make fun, narrative-rich games in an inclusive, supportive, and fun studio environment!

You’ll be working on Threads of Time, a 2.5D JRPG inspired by Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy, where you get to travel from the prehistoric era to the end of time!

• Become part of a veteran team that includes legendary developers who led iconic titles such as Xenoblade Chronicles, Legend of Mana, and more
• Competitive salary
• 4 weeks paid vacation (1 week of which is taken in late December)
• Benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, and an Employee & Family Assistance program
• Collaborative environment with opportunities to contribute to the game’s creative design and take ownership of features
• Opportunities to help you strengthen your skills or learn something new
• A workplace that appreciates and values diversity and inclusivity

Responsibilities:

• Under the direction of the Narrative Director, stage and implement high-quality cutscenes using Unreal Engine 5, working from existing narrative scripts
• Set up and refine cameras and related parameters (focus, framing, movement, timing, etc.) to achieve strong visual storytelling
• Stage pixel art characters and scenes to support clear, engaging, and emotionally resonant sequences
• Apply storytelling principles, camera language, and editing techniques to enhance gameplay and narrative moments
• Collaborate closely with Designers and Artists to support and execute the game’s cinematic vision
• Collaborate with the Programming team to improve the efficiency and quality of in-house cutscene tools
• Create and maintain technical documentation related to narrative tools, workflows, and pipelines; ensure best practices are maintained throughout the game’s development
• Debug technical issues related to the implementation of narrative systems and content
• Balance quality and efficiency while working within production deadlines
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• At least 2 years of professional experience in games as a Cinematic Designer or Cinematic Artist with a strong focus on cutscene staging
• A love and understanding of JRPGs
• Proven experience creating in-game cutscenes, with a strong understanding of storytelling, photography, film language, and cinematography techniques
• A skilled eye for composition, staging, lighting, timing, and editing
• Hands-on experience with in-engine cinematic tools (Unreal Engine's sequencer preferred)
• Ability to take direction and iterate based on feedback while contributing creative ideas
• Strong communication, listening, and interpersonal skills
• Passion and knowledge of storytelling across movies, games, anime, and/or TV pop culture
• Self-motivated and able to work independently as part of a fully distributed team to meet deadlines and milestone requirements
• High attention to detail and well-organized
• Strong documentation and visualization skills
• Dedicated to contributing towards a friendly and collaborative team environment

Pluses:

• Resident of Ontario or Quebec, Canada

Salary: $45,000 - $75,000 CAD

Please note that although this is a full-time remote position, applicants must reside in either Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, or British Columbia, or be willing to relocate.

Maybe you think that your experience is not where it should be? Or you don’t meet every requirement listed in this job description? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs if they don’t think they meet every qualification. But we feel that creating meaningful work means embracing different perspectives, which is why at Riyo Games, we are focused on building an equitable, diverse, and inclusive studio. If your experience is not perfectly aligned with every requirement in this job description, but you’re interested in this position, we encourage you to apply anyway. We simply want to know what makes you special!

Riyo Games welcomes and encourages applications from candidates with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in the selection process. If you require disability-related accommodation during the recruitment process, please email contact@riyogames.com. We will consult with all applicants who request disability-related accommodation during the recruitment process to ensure that the accommodation provided takes into account the applicant's individual accessibility needs.

Riyo Games uses tools to sort applications based on geographical criteria only. We do not use AI to screen, assess, or select applicants.

Thank you, we look forward to hearing from you!