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Deck Nine Games

Westminster, Colorado - United States
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Lead Writer

Description

Deck Nine Games is looking to hire a Lead Writer to lead our writer’s room on an unannounced AAA single-player adventure game. What kind of writer, you ask? A writer of passion, talent, and unquenchable curiosity. We want someone who breathes story, loves video games, and thinks probingly about what narrative gaming even means. Writing games is often grueling, sometimes thankless, and always challenging. We’re looking for a writer who is fanatical about every word, just like we are, but also kind, sensitive, thoughtful, and a joy to work with, as we will hopefully be spending a lot of time together. 

Enough about what we want, here’s what you get: A full time, on-site position with benefits, competitive pay, and the opportunity to work on an exceptional project with one of the most talented teams in the industry. As a lead writer, you will be collaborating with the narrative team/game director/gameplay director to brainstorm concepts, break story, outline episodes, review the game script, lead your team of writers and support the rest of the studio in production. You will have access to the best narrative development tool set out there, a proprietary system called StoryForge which allows us holistic influence over all aspects of the development process, including dialogue, gameplay design, branching logic, art, and cinematics. 

It cannot be overstressed: This is a collaborative position. Team writing requires tremendous communication skills as well as patience.  We love and admire many lone wolves, auteurs, mavericks, and enfant terribles; for this position, however, a passion and talent for collaboration is a must.  


Requirements:

  • BA or comparable degree.
  • At least one professional writing credit. This may include a released video game, purchased screenplay, or published book or article.
  • 4+ years of relevant work experience.
  • Experience writing screenplays or teleplays. Our system also allows us influence over all visual components of the game. You should be able to write and think cinematically.
  • You must be willing to relocate to the Denver area (relocation assistance available).
  • You must already be authorized to work in the U.S. – we are not sponsoring overseas applicants


Pluses: 

  • BA or higher degree in humanities, film, journalism, or creative writing.
  • Knowledge about, and experience in, the gaming industry.
  • Experience as an educator, leader, or manager. Anything that evinces strong interpersonal skills.
  • Some experience writing in a programming language of some kind. Our system allows us control over the logic and gameplay of our game, which requires comfort with programming basics.
  • Experience working with artists from other disciplines. 


Benefits

  • Competitive starting salary
  • Generous PTO including paid parental leave
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family
  • Growth opportunities for your career 


How to Apply: 

Please include the following with your application:

  • Two writing samples, 10-20 pages each
  •    One example must be a screenplay, game script or play excerpt
  •    Must include dramatic situations and interpersonal conflict
  •    Focus on scenes with meaningful interactions between emotional characters
  • Resume
  • Cover Letter, with a couple of sentences describing your thoughts about the future of narrative adventure games 


About Deck Nine

Deck Nine Games is an independent game developer dedicated to crafting interactive story games that inspire, transform, and entertain players. Our passion is storytelling games. We love the relatable characters from a game like Life is Strange and the amazing action storytelling from games like Last of Us.

Our first game, Life is Strange: Before the Storm is loved by fans and has won multiple awards, including Game of Year and was nominated for both a VGA and a BAFTA. The studio is 90+ people and is in sunny Westminster, Colorado at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The studio is working on an unannounced story adventure game and is growing additional teams for more projects.

We’re looking for talented and self-motivated people to join us as we aim to rise to the top of the storytelling game studios. We are part of the thriving Colorado game dev scene and our location offers a lower cost of living and a proximity to countless family-friendly activities and amazing outdoor opportunities. If this sounds appealing to you, please apply!

As the crafters of stories that encompass the full breadth of life’s experiences, Deck Nine is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and multicultural team in which people from all walks of life feel inspired to do their best work. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and believe deeply in the creativity and strength built from diversity of race, religion, disability, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, nationality, and the many other qualities that make us different.

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