Electronic Arts

Cliffhanger Games is a newly formed Seattle Studio focusing on blockbuster action-adventure games and pioneering next-generation emergent storytelling beginning with Marvel’s Black Panther. Join us to pursue your passion to build unique, groundbreaking, and inclusive games that will empower players to create incredible stories of heroic adventure. Become a foundational part of an ambitious, respectful, and diverse team as we are looking for a Senior Game Writer to join our team.

Reporting to the Design Manager, you will play a crucial role in defining the narrative voice of our games. You will craft compelling text, dialogue, and cutscenes to bring our players’ stories to life, ensuring they are deeply integrated with the game's world and mechanics. This position requires close collaboration with writers, designers, VO directors and cross-discipline collaborators to deliver a world-class narrative experience. 

Responsibilities

• Character Ownership: Be the primary writer for specific characters in our story. Research their previous portrayal in our IP as well as real-world analogues. Develop their arcs and define their perspectives on the key themes of our game. Support voice casting and external writers as well as art and combat teams collaborating on or representing your characters.

• Creative Authenticity: Tell truthful and resonant stories that fit within the IP and creative vision. Work with a team of fellow writers to identify elements of plot or characterization that feel false, flat, or stereotyped, and replace them with stronger choices. Speak from experience where you can; where you can’t, bring research and empathetic imagination.

• Commitment to the Strengths of Procedural Narrative: Treat the procedural narrative system as a source of prompts, inviting you to explore your character from many angles. Maintain a consistent, distinctive persona across a large number of lines. Work with designers to identify the emergent gameplay situations that would have the greatest impact on your characters, and craft scenes that will reward the player for reaching these points.

• Culture of Feedback: Give and receive feedback openly and respectfully. Listen to what people are saying about their experiences with the game, even when they are not able to identify the fix. Make the most of the guidance offered by external consultants and subject-matter experts.

Required Qualifications

• Proven Experience: 5+ years of experience in a professional narrative role, ideally on projects where player choice had a significant effect on story outcomes. Comfort working with spreadsheets, diagramming tools, or game development engines.

• Expertise in Narrative Craft: A portfolio that showcases distinctive character voices, emotionally compelling conflicts, and the ability to write with humor and a range of tones.

• Collaboration and Responsiveness: A proven track record of effective collaboration within a multidisciplinary team, with the ability to adapt and respond to innovative narrative designs and directions set by the Principal Narrative Systems Designer. Experience in working with both internal and external partners to integrate and execute narrative innovations.

• Understanding of Procedural Narrative: Knowledge of procedural and emergent narrative techniques, with a focus on crafting stories that dynamically adapt to player decisions and actions. Familiarity with game development tools and systems that support procedural storytelling is preferred. 

• Communication: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to articulate complex narrative concepts and feedback to both technical and non-technical team members.

Familiarity with Marvel, Black Panther or with the culture of an African country is welcome.

We encourage you to apply, even if you don't match every qualification listed above. Let us know why this role appeals to you, why you will be great, what unique perspectives you will bring, and which requirements will challenge you to grow.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS The ranges listed below are what EA in good faith expects to pay applicants for this role in these locations at the time of this posting. If you reside in a different location, a recruiter will advise on the applicable range and benefits. Pay offered will be determined based on a number of relevant business and candidate factors (e.g. education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, or business needs). BASE SALARY RANGES

• California (depending on location e.g. Los Angeles vs. Sacramento)
  • $122,400 - $176,300 USD

• Colorado (depending on location e.g. Denver vs. Colorado Springs)
  • $131,000 - $174,800 USD

• Jersey City, NJ
  • $142,000 - $176,300 USD

• New York (depending on location e.g. Manhattan vs. Buffalo)
  • $115,700 - $176,300 USD

• Washington (depending on location e.g. Seattle vs. Spokane)
  • $115,700 - $163,100 USD

In the US, we offer a package of benefits including paid time off (3 weeks per year to start), 80 hours per year of sick time, 16 paid company holidays per year, 10 weeks paid time off to bond with baby, medical/dental/vision insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and 401(k) to regular full-time employees. Certain roles may also be eligible for bonus and equity.