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Narrative Designer Game Writer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Naughty Dog

Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$145K - $181K/yr

... narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II ... Write and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypes * Drive ...

Hasbro

Associate Game Designer - D&D

Renton, WA · On-site

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 ...

TapBlaze

Game Designer, Casual F2P

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$80 - $100/hr

You understand the psychology of casual, cozy, and narrative-driven game players. * Long-term ... Experience designing for narrative-driven or cozy game genres specifically. * Familiarity with A/B ...

TapBlaze

Game Designer, Casual F2P

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$167K/yr

You understand the psychology of casual, cozy, and narrative-driven game players. * Long-term ... Experience designing for narrative-driven or cozy game genres specifically. * Familiarity with A/B ...

TapBlaze

Game Designer, Casual F2P

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$167K/yr

You understand the psychology of casual, cozy, and narrative-driven game players. * Long-term ... Experience designing for narrative-driven or cozy game genres specifically. * Familiarity with A/B ...

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 ...

Progressive Gaming

Game Designer

Las Vegas, NV · On-site

$149K/yr

IGT is looking for a Game Designer who can inspire teams to create Class 3, land-based slot games ... Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as organizational skills Keys to Success ...

Progressive Gaming

Game Designer

Reno, NV · On-site

$154K/yr

IGT is looking for a Game Designer who can inspire teams to create Class 3, land-based slot games ... Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as organizational skills Keys to Success ...

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

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for narrative designer game writer in the United States is $35.11, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $23.32 and $50.96 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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Infographic showing various Narrative Designer Game Writer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 64% Full Time, 24% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 11% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 14% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $73,039 per year, or $35.1 per hour.

Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

Naughty Dog
PC Games • 51 - 200 employees
Learn more about Naughty Dogexternal

$145K - $181K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 12 days ago

Job description

Ability to work onsite from our Santa Monica, CA based studio is required.
For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I is now available for the first time on PC.
Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.
What you will do:
  • Pitch, design, implement, and own enemy NPC archetypes
  • Work with AI programmers to develop foundational NPC technology and implementing and tuning enemy AI behaviors
  • Work with animators to develop enemy locomotion and traversal, melee moves, ambient behaviors, and other custom abilities. Make every enemy archetype feel unique and memorable
  • Collaborate with the Design team to conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systems
  • Communicate with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the enemies you're owning
  • Write and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypes
  • Drive communication and collaboration for enemies you design and the levels they are in, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlines
  • Effective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departments
  • Facilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based on player experiences
  • Mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design team

What skills you will use:
  • 5+ years of industry experience in combat design and/or technical design for games, specifically focused on developing action-adventure or shooter games
  • At least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role. Experience with behavior trees or similar NPC AI concepts preferred
  • Strong coding ability: Computer Science degree preferred though not required
  • Proficient in using game engines and tools (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) for combat implementation and design scripting (C#, Lua, Visual Scripting)
  • Welcomes feedback on their work and embraces the "let's try it" mentality
  • Proficient and effective communication skills, including diagramming and sketching
  • Fluent in modern character action-adventure and shooter combat games. Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trends
  • Knowledge of narrative structure and how it intersects with gameplay and combat
  • A keen eye for detail in character action games, able to tune gameplay systems to make them feel smooth and impactful
  • Strong leadership and mentoring skills

The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans.
$145,100-$181,400 USD
Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.
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