Narrative Designer
Longdue · South Africa ·
- Work mode
- Remote
- Seniority
- Lead
- Category
- Design
- Experience
- 5+ years
Lead Narrative Designer shaping the story of Hopetown, a Disco Elysium-inspired narrative-first cRPG at Longdue. Day to day you lead a small team of writers, plan and deliver narrative work within production milestones, and align narrative goals with design, production, and tech using tools like Basecamp or YouTrack.
About the game
Hopetown is a new narrative-first RPG inspired by Disco Elysium, being built by some of the team that worked on Disco Elysium, including Martin Luiga (founder of the ZA/UM Cultural Movement, writer of several characters on Disco Elysium, writer of the first short story in the Disco Elysium world), Lenval Brown (narrator of Disco Elysium) and Piotr Sobolewski (former CEO of Knights of U, which completed all the tech for Disco Elysium).
We are currently moving into early production, building out the foundational systems, characters, and mechanics that will define the experience. With your help, we can transform Hopetown from a great cRPG into an unforgettable one — a living, breathing universe of stories, surprises, and challenges.
About us
Longdue is a studio founded to create rich, emotional, story-first games that challenge players’ expectations. We’re a remote team of writers, artists, designers, and engineers, bringing together talent from across the industry to push the boundaries of narrative-driven RPGs.
We are still early in production, meaning new team members will have a real, tangible impact on the world we are building. We believe that extraordinary games can come from small, focused teams that value creativity, openness, and care over convention.
About the role
We’re looking for a Lead Narrative Designer with both creative and production instincts — someone who can shape Hopetown’s story while helping to build the systems and structures that make great narrative work possible.
You’ll lead a small team of writers through the early stages of development, balancing storytelling vision with clear planning, coordination, and delivery. You’ll collaborate closely with design, production, and tech to align narrative goals with development milestones and to ensure the narrative team’s output fits smoothly into the broader pipeline.
This role sits at the intersection of creativity and operations — ideal for someone who loves story but also thrives on clarity, structure, and collaboration.
Add to What You’ll Be Doing:
- We’re looking for a Narrative Lead with both creative and production instincts, someone who can shepherd Hopetown’s story while helping us refine systems and structures that make great narrative work possible.
- You’ll lead a small team of writers, balancing storytelling vision with clear planning, coordination, and delivery. You’ll collaborate closely with design, production, and tech to align narrative goals with development milestones and to ensure the narrative team’s output fits smoothly into the broader pipeline.
- This role sits at the intersection of creativity and operations, ideal for someone who loves story but also thrives on clarity, structure, and collaboration.
Requirements
MUST-HAVE REQUIREMENTS
- 5+ years of experience leading and/or managing a narrative team on a narrative-first game, ideally in the RPG space.
- Proven ability to plan, organise, and deliver narrative work within production milestones, experience coordinating pipelines, tracking progress, and aligning with design or production teams
- Proven experience writing emotionally resonant, character-driven stories
- Experience overseeing multiple writers’ work and overseeing edits to ensure cohesion in both tone and style
- Excellent communication, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Basic understanding of other disciplines and how their work integrates with narrative and design.
- Familiarity with production and project management tools (e.g. Basecamp, YouTrack, or similar)
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience shipping or contributing to a narrative-driven RPG title, especially within a small or startup-style team
- Strong familiarity with Disco Elysium-like, dialogue-heavy storytelling structures
- A creative and adaptable mindset suited to an early-stage, highly collaborative studio environment
- A love for narrative experimentation, psychology, and surreal or philosophical themes
Benefits
WHY JOIN US
Creative Freedom: We foster an environment where your unique voice and vision can shape a groundbreaking RPG.
Thought-Provoking Project: Help create a game that challenges conventions, offers a deep philosophical experience, and invites players to explore not only a mysterious world but also the depths of the human psyche.
Flexible Working: We are a remote-first studio, offering you the freedom to work from wherever inspiration strikes.