Narrative Designer II - AAA Narrative/Open-World Game

Join Pipeworks Studios as a Narrative Designer II and help craft immersive quests, communities, and open-world events for a narrative-driven AAA RPG experience. This is a design-and-implementation role (not a writing position) focused on building story-driven gameplay using visual scripting and in-engine tools.  Our studio is based in Eugene, Oregon, with the flexibility of fully remote work.  Key ResponsibilitiesDay to Day

• Design, prototype, and implement quests, POIs, communities, and open-world events using visual scripting within UE5 and proprietary tools. 
• Build clear quest logic, conditions, states, and fail-safes; integrate gameplay, locations, characters, UI prompts, audio/VFX for readable player feedback. 
• Plan required assets and collaborate with systems, level design, art, audio, UI, and engineering to deliver seamless narrative experiences. 
• Maintain quality through playtests, debugging and fixing reported issues, and iterating on feedback. 
• Create and maintain clean documentation (flows, specs, state machines, implementation notes). 

Skills, Knowledge and ExpertiseMust Haves

• Proficiency with UE4/UE5 and visual scripting (Blueprints or proprietary tools). 
• Strong grasp of interactive storytelling, encounter pacing, player readability, and systemic quest design. 
• Excellent cross discipline communication; comfortable collaborating across global time zones. 

Nice to haves

• Demonstrable experience in a lead role (project, pod, or strike team) for AA/AAA title(s).  
• Experience tuning open-world economies, event scheduling, and encounter gating. 
• Familiarity with branching narrative tools (e.g., articy:draft, Ink) and data driven pipelines. 
• Released narrative works (games, comics, film). 

Education & Experience 

• 5-8+ years professional experience as a Quest/Narrative/Open-World Designer on AA/AAA titles. 
• 2+ shipped narrative-driven AA/AAA game in a design/implementation capacity 
• Must be able to discuss thoroughly, and preferably show, shipped examples of implemented quests/systems and in-engine scripting. 
• Bachelor’s or equivalent experience. 

BenefitsFlexible Working Environment Almost all of our roles allow for your choice of work location. We're happy to support our team no matter how they prefer to work: remote, in office, or hybrid. Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• 401K with employer match
• Employer Paid Life Insurance Policy
• Generous Paid Time Off
• 20 Paid Company Holidays
• Relocation Assistance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• Fitness Club Discounts
• Sports Team Sponsorship
• Annual Company Events
• Project Wrap Parties

A Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pipeworks Studios recognizes the importance of creating an environment where all of our employees feel included and empowered to bring ideas to the the table. We value each employee's unique experiences and perspectives and recognize that it is both the smart and right thing to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within our organization. By diversifying our workforce, increasing equity, and ensuring that our individual differences are valued, we are better able to deliver an experience that reflects, inspires, and connects with our audience... because games are for everyone! Pipeworks provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. Go to Pipeworks.com to see some of our continued efforts and our latest Demographic Report. Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every one of the qualifications in a job description. Our top priority is finding the best candidate for the job and if you are interested in the position, we would encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications. Apply To This Job