About the role
About Us
Beamdog, a leading video game studio based in Edmonton, Alberta, has been creating captivating gaming experiences since 2009. Led by industry veteran Trent Oster, the studio has become renowned for developing enhanced editions of classic games and original content across multiple platforms, including Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and mobile devices. Best known for reviving iconic Dungeons & Dragons RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment, Beamdog is dedicated to delivering unforgettable experiences for gamers worldwide.
Position Summary
As a Senior Writer, reporting to the Design Director, you will develop engaging characters, dialogue, and stories that support the creative vision of our games. You will bring strong writing craft and narrative judgment to the development of theme, tone, and character, working closely with creative leadership to ensure narrative content fits the project’s audience, gameplay, and overall direction. This is a hands-on writing role that combines original content creation, editing, narrative implementation, and collaboration across disciplines. Success in this role requires strong writing ability and consistent execution: quickly understanding the project’s established voice, themes, and brand, building on that foundation, and turning creative direction into high-quality content at a pace that supports production.
This position offers remote from Canada, hybrid, or onsite work arrangements, with a strong preference for candidates based in Edmonton, Alberta, who can spend time working from our office.
Responsibilities
- Collaborate with the Design Director and/or project leadership to develop and maintain narrative themes, tone, and style that support the game’s creative vision and intended player experience.
- Write compelling characters, dialogue, quests, and storylines that connect with players and work within the game’s design and production requirements.
- Develop detailed character biographies, motivations, relationships, and story arcs, maintaining consistency across dialogue, narrative content, and gameplay.
- Write and revise combat barks, quest banter, lore, and other in-game text, adapting voice and style to the needs of the project.
- Consistently produce high-quality narrative content that meets agreed production targets while maintaining the project’s established voice, themes, tone, and brand.
- Translate narrative concepts, outlines, and creative briefs into complete, usable writing deliverables, carrying assigned content through drafting, revision, and implementation.
- Work closely with designers, artists, and other disciplines to integrate storytelling with gameplay, worldbuilding, and visual presentation.
- Translate feedback from creative leadership and relevant partners into clear, effective revisions that meet the project’s expectations for quality, tone, and product fit.
- Review and edit narrative content for clarity, pacing, continuity, character voice, and consistency with established lore and style guidelines.
- Implement and refine narrative content using project tools and game engines, working with other disciplines to address technical constraints and issues identified through playtesting.
- Contribute to narrative documentation, including style guides, character references, and story outlines.
- Provide constructive peer feedback and share writing expertise with other Writers and Narrative Designers to strengthen the quality and consistency of the project’s narrative content.
- Manage assigned writing deliverables, communicate progress and dependencies, and meet agreed production deadlines.
- Provide mentorship to other less senior writers and designers.
- Other duties as assigned.
Requirements
- Significant professional writing experience in the game or entertainment industry, including writing contributions to at least one shipped game.
- Strong understanding of interactive storytelling and game-design fundamentals, including experience developing branching dialogue or nonlinear narratives.
- Demonstrated ability to write clear, engaging stories and distinctive characters with consistent voices, motivations, and emotional depth.
- Ability to establish and sustain theme, tone, and style within an existing creative vision.
- Demonstrated ability to quickly understand and write within an established brand and creative direction, building on existing themes and character voices.
- A demonstrated record of sustained writing output, balancing strong writing craft with the volume, pace, and revision demands of game production.
- Strong editing skills, with experience revising creative content for clarity, structure, pacing, and consistency.
- Ability to interpret and incorporate creative feedback, including making substantive revisions to meet project needs.
- Strong collaboration and communication skills, with experience working across disciplines and presenting narrative ideas clearly.
- Strong research and problem-solving skills, with the ability to adapt narrative ideas to technical, production, and resource constraints.
- Experience implementing narrative content in game engines such as Unreal or Unity, or comparable narrative development tools.
- Ability to work independently, prioritize assignments, and deliver high-quality writing within production timelines.
Bonus Points
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in English, Creative Writing, Theatre, Film, or a related field.
- Familiarity with JIRA, Perforce, and other production or version-control tools.
- Experience developing narrative style guides, maintaining continuity across substantial bodies of content, and providing peer mentorship.
- Strong preference to those based in Edmonton, Alberta.
An up to date portfolio/writing samples must be included with your application. There may also be an assessment portion associated with the recruitment process for this role.
Why Beamdog?
Beamdog is a hardworking team of passionate game developers who love the games we work on. Our office is located in Edmonton’s lively Strathcona district, right on Whyte Ave, and offers plenty of after-hours fun (including board game nights and multiple ongoing D&D campaigns).
We offer the following perks:
- Vision, dental, and health benefits, plus extended healthcare coverage
- RRSP matching program
- Generous time off for vacation, sick days, and personal days
- Transit passes & heated underground parking
- Fully-paid gym memberships
- Lunch and Learns
- Flexible working hours
- Casual dress code
Equal Opportunity Employer
Diversity is fundamentally about valuing human differences and recognizing that a diverse group of people bring with them a diverse set of skills which is necessary to propel our company forward. Beamdog is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified persons. We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status or any other legally protected status.