Technical Narrative Designer - Contract

Position Summary

As Technical Narrative Designer, you will bring to life vibrant Overworlds of our upcoming game, Threads of Time. Wielding your mighty quill (or word processor of choice), you will write and design interesting encounters that support larger story goals and themes, and leveraging your technical skills, you will implement them across 5 different eras, from prehistory to the far future.

Note: This is a 6-month full-time fixed-term 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

• Taking lead from the Design Director, create Overworld content across all five eras: NPC encounters, side stories, and the small found details (letters, signs, ruins) that make each time period feel lived-in and distinct
• Collaborate closely with the narrative team, who will provide lore, writing, and sidequest outlines for you to develop into fully realized Overworld content
• Implement your own work in-engine, taking content from first draft to implementation, playtesting and iteration, including among other things dialogue scripting, triggers, event flags, and cutscene staging
• Own the world-state logic that makes Overworld activities and time ripples (cause and consequence through time) work
• Collaborate with level design, art, and audio so each Overworld activity lands
• Playtest your content relentlessly, then iterate based on player feedback
• Help improve our narrative tools and pipeline: flag friction where you find it, propose fixes, and keep content structured for localization down the road
• Write from a variety of voices and perspectives
• Effectively communicate with engineers to ensure seamless technical implementation of narrative tools and pipelines
• Collaborate closely with production and monitor progress to meet project milestones
• Other duties as assigned

Requirements:

• Minimum of 5 years of professional game writing and design experience, shipping at least one title
• A love and understanding of JRPGs is a must
• Very comfortable working in-engine and implementing content in UE5 or similar
• Proactive with a strong sense of ownership, shepherding designs from initial creation through to implementation, testing, and iteration
• Strong communication, listening, and interpersonal skills

Pluses:

• Resident of Ontario or Quebec, Canada

Salary: $60,000 - 100,000 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!