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Contract Narrative Game Writer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

SpiderWare

Video Game QA Tester

From there the path is wide open: QA and Support people here have become quest designers, narrative writers, game designers, and heads of department, some within six months. If you're passionate and ...

Insomniac Games

Senior Gameplay Animator (CONTRACT)

OR · On-site +1

$105K - $120K/yr

... the game, supporting the creative, narrative vision, and technical requirements. The Senior ... Communicate effectively with other disciplines, including Designers, Programmers, Writers, Project ...

Fanatics Collectibles

Game Designer - TCG

Seattle, WA · On-site

$98K - $123K/yr

Write clear, precise rules text and internal design documentation for your areas of ownership ... Collaborate with narrative design, creative, and product teams to ensure mechanics are well ...

Hasbro

Associate Game Designer - D&D

Renton, WA · On-site

$33.30 - $50/hr

This includes mechanical and narrative design, play innovations, playtests, product exploration ... You'll write compelling, fun game content under the leadership of senior designers. Location & Work ...

Far Coder

$25K - $40K/mo

... the game, supporting the creative, narrative vision, and technical requirements. The Senior ... Communicate effectively with other disciplines, including Designers, Programmers, Writers, Project ...

Insomniac Games

Senior Gameplay Animator (CONTRACT)

$76.92 - $86.06/hr

... the game, supporting the creative, narrative vision, and technical requirements. The Senior ... Communicate effectively with other disciplines, including Designers, Programmers, Writers, Project ...

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Contract Narrative Game Writer information

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$13

$38

$66

How much do contract narrative game writer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 13, 2026, the average hourly pay for contract narrative game writer in the United States is $38.94, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $28.85 and $47.12 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a contract narrative game writer?

A Contract Narrative Game Writer is a professional hired on a temporary or project basis to create storylines, dialogue, and characters for video games. They work closely with game designers, artists, and developers to ensure the narrative integrates seamlessly with gameplay. Their responsibilities may include writing scripts, developing branching story paths, and building immersive worlds that engage players. Contract writers typically work remotely or on-site for the duration of a specific project, rather than as full-time staff.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a contract narrative game writer?

To thrive as a Contract Narrative Game Writer, you need excellent storytelling abilities, a strong grasp of narrative structure, and experience in creative writing, often supported by a portfolio of game or interactive fiction work. Familiarity with industry-standard tools such as Twine, Ink, or game engines like Unity, as well as understanding branching dialogue systems, is typically required. Strong collaboration, adaptability, and effective communication skills help writers integrate storylines with gameplay and work well with multidisciplinary teams. These skills ensure the creation of engaging, immersive narratives that enhance player experience and align with the game's vision.

What are some common challenges faced by contract narrative game writers when working with remote development teams?

Contract narrative game writers often collaborate with remote development teams, which can lead to challenges such as time zone differences, asynchronous communication, and aligning creative vision. It is important to be proactive in scheduling meetings, maintaining clear documentation, and using collaborative tools to ensure everyone stays on the same page. Building strong relationships with designers, artists, and other writers helps facilitate smooth workflows and ensures narrative elements are effectively integrated into the game.

What is the difference between Contract Narrative Game Writer vs Contract Script Writer?

AspectContract Narrative Game WriterContract Script Writer
Primary FocusDeveloping storylines, character arcs, and world-building for gamesWriting dialogue, scenes, and scripts for various media including games
Skills & CredentialsCreative writing, storytelling, game design knowledgeScreenwriting, dialogue writing, storytelling skills
Work EnvironmentGame development studios, freelance projectsMedia production, gaming, advertising agencies
Industry UsageCommonly used in game development for narrative designUsed across media including film, TV, and games

While both roles involve storytelling and writing skills, a Contract Narrative Game Writer specializes in crafting immersive stories and characters specifically for video games, focusing on world-building and narrative flow. In contrast, a Contract Script Writer typically writes dialogue and scripts for various media, including films, TV, and games. Understanding these distinctions helps employers and writers target the right skills for each role.

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The most popular types of Narrative Game Writer jobs are:

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For Contract Narrative Game Writer jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Contract Narrative Game Writer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Contract Narrative Game Writer job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $81,001 per year, or $38.9 per hour.

Video Game QA Tester

Remote

SpiderWare
See more jobs at SpiderWareexternal

Full-time

Re-posted 28 days ago

Job description

Soulbound (https://soulbound.game/) is a top-down pixel-art MMO launching on Steam. Over 1 million players played the browser version; we've rebuilt the entire game for PC - new engine, new progression, new narrative framework. We're a remote team of ~20, we hire from anywhere in the world, and we care about one thing above all: passion.
Forget everything you think QA is. This is not a role where you log bugs and toss them over a wall. At Spiderware, QA means finding, understanding, and solving. When something breaks, you're the detective: you work out exactly how it broke, chase down why, and then help drive the fix by pulling in engineers, designers, whoever it takes, until it's actually solved. You'll be the person who protects what a million players see, on a game that ships changes in real time. It's the most hands-on QA role you will find anywhere. This is an entry-level role, so we don't specify a degree, your age, or your background. We care about three things:
1. You solve problems, not just spot them. When a quest snags or a number looks wrong, you can't let it go, and you can't stop at "it's broken." You want to know why. You form a theory, test it, narrow it down, and hand the team a solved case.
2. You're a gamer. You play RPGs, MMORPGs and indie games, and you understand how they're meant to feel. You know the difference between "annoying" and "broken," and you can say why. If you don't play games in this genre, this isn't the role for you.
3. You learn fast and take feedback. You write clearly, follow a repro step-by-step, and turn "it's weird" into something an engineer can act on in minutes. When someone shows you a better way, you use it the same day.
What You'll Actually Do
  • Playtest new quests, systems and builds before players ever see them
  • Break the game on purpose then investigate why it broke, isolate the cause, and propose the fix
  • Work directly with engineers and designers to get problems actually solved, not just filed
  • Verify fixes and run regression passes on a live, fast-moving game
  • Stress-test around the big moments like launches, events, updates
  • Feed patterns back to the whole team: you're the player's early-warning system
  • Feedback what feels fun, and what doesn't, working with designers to improve the experience.
  • Have a space to propose your ideas and improvement designs to the design team.

What This Is (And What It Isn't)
This is your foot in the door in the games industry with real QA experience on a shipping MMO with a proven player base, direct access to the people building it, and a genuine path to ongoing roles.
Where This Leads
Almost everyone who joins Spiderware at junior level starts in QA or Support, by design. It's the fastest way to learn the game inside out: you play it, you test it, you see exactly where players get stuck. It's also how you learn the studio, how we operate, who does what, how it all fits together. From there the path is wide open: QA and Support people here have become quest designers, narrative writers, game designers, and heads of department, some within six months. If you're passionate and dedicated, the opportunity is enormous.
Requirements
  • A genuine passion for gaming especially RPGs, MMORPGs, indie and top-down/pixel-art games
  • Sharp attention to detail
  • Clear written communication, you can describe a problem so someone else can reproduce it
  • You must be self-motivated and proactive, working remote, you don't wait to be told what to test, you think ahead and work without being directed.
  • Thick skin, you can take direct, sometimes brutal feedback and use it to improve.
  • Available to commit meaningful hours, night shifts or weekends. this isn't a "check in once a week" role.
  • English speaking at native level, reading and writing.
  • A steam profile with a strong playtime record.

Nice to Have
  • Experience filing bugs (any tracker)
  • Modding or running game servers
  • A basic feel for how games are built
  • Familiarity with test cases or checklists

Benefits
  • You'll learn faster here than at any studio you could join, because we ship to a live game in real time and you see the results the same day
  • Real QA experience on a live game with 1M+ players
  • Direct access to the studio founder, design and engineering, with no layers between you and the people who fix things
  • Learn professional QA end to end: repro, triage, root-cause investigation, regression, release testing
  • Flexible hours that fit around your studies or other commitments
  • Work remotely from anywhere in the world
  • Genuine path to ongoing roles for standout performers
  • Small, fast-moving indie studio where your work protects what millions of players see

Apply