At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead narrative design for games, analyse trends, and develop storytelling strategies.
- Company: Join Tencent Games, a global leader in game development and publishing.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, diverse work culture, and opportunities for international collaboration.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on innovation and personal growth.
- Why this job: Shape the future of gaming narratives and impact millions of players worldwide.
- Qualifications: 8+ years in game narrative design with proven success in leading projects.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Tencent Games was established in 2003. We are a leading global platform for game development, operations and publishing, and the largest online game community in China. Tencent Games has developed and operated over 140 games, providing cross‑platform interactive entertainment experiences for more than 800 million users in over 200 countries and regions around the world.
About the Hiring Team: Game Research Center (GRC) is a department focusing on game industry study, game analysis, game design research, data analysis and game development support. We’re one of the world’s leading research facilities in the game industry, building a global knowledge tank to help our teams make better decisions. We’re looking for innovative and passionate team members who love all kinds of games and have insight about the challenging global market.
What the Role Entails: This position sits within the GRC team. Its core objective is to introduce an international expert with leading narrative design experience to develop systematic narrative capabilities, establish content strategy methodologies, and provide narrative empowerment for key projects.
Responsibilities:
- Market Research & Narrative Trend Insights: Continuously track global narrative design trends, including branching narratives, immersive storytelling, and narrative systems. Analyse top global narrative works and extract replicable creative frameworks. Produce strategic narrative insights, market structure analyses, and player preference reports for senior management and project teams.
- Narrative System Design & Project Enablement: Serve as the core narrative expert, providing guidance on story structure, character frameworks, worldbuilding, and narrative style for key projects. Review prototypes, key milestones, and narrative versions, delivering actionable narrative optimisation recommendations. Support teams in building systematic narrative toolchains.
- Methodology Development & Capability Building: Develop narrative evaluation frameworks, including narrative experience assessment standards, pacing models, character strategies and worldbuilding logic systems. Consolidate best practices from successful projects into internal playbooks, toolkits, and case libraries. Enhance company‑wide narrative capabilities through trainings, workshops and public lectures.
- Cross‑Team Collaboration & Strategic Support: Collaborate closely with project teams, producers, marketing and user research to ensure narrative design aligns with overall product strategy. Provide opportunity assessment and investment recommendations for narrative‑driven genres to strategy teams.
Who We Look For:
Experience Background: 8+ years of experience in game narrative design. Served as a core narrative designer or Lead Narrative Designer on successful or highly reputable narrative projects. Candidates with award‑winning narrative works, industry award nominations or teaching experience in universities/industry platforms are preferred.
Professional Skills: Capable of independently building worldviews, character systems, plot structures and narrative pacing. Understands narrative‑system integration and can create effective links between gameplay and narrative. Able to assess narrative experience quality and break down the core logic of successful works.
General Skills: Strong communication abilities; able to clearly articulate narrative strategies and design intent to diverse stakeholders. Strong logical reasoning and structured thinking. Cross‑cultural collaboration experience is a plus.
Language & Location: Strong business‑level English proficiency is essential. Open to being based overseas or maintaining long‑term collaboration with overseas projects.
Equal Employment Opportunity at Tencent: As an equal opportunity employer, we firmly believe that diverse voices fuel our innovation and allow us to better serve our users and the community.
Principal Game Analyst, Narrative Design employer: Lightspeed Studios
At Tencent Games, we pride ourselves on being a leading global platform for game development and publishing, offering an innovative work culture that encourages creativity and collaboration. Our Game Research Center is dedicated to fostering employee growth through continuous learning opportunities and cross-team collaboration, ensuring that our team members are at the forefront of narrative design in the gaming industry. With a commitment to diversity and inclusion, we create a supportive environment where every voice is valued, making us an exceptional employer for those passionate about shaping the future of gaming.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Principal Game Analyst, Narrative Design
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry professionals on LinkedIn or at gaming events. We can’t stress enough how important it is to make connections that could lead to job opportunities.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your passion for games! When you get the chance to chat with potential employers, share your insights on narrative design trends and your favourite games. It’s all about making that personal connection.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into Tencent Games’ titles. Understand their narrative styles and think about how you can contribute to their projects. We want to see your enthusiasm and knowledge shine through!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to engage directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Principal Game Analyst, Narrative Design
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Narrative Design:When you're writing your application, let your love for narrative design shine through! Share specific examples of projects you've worked on and how they reflect your understanding of storytelling in games. We want to see your enthusiasm and creativity!
Tailor Your Application:Make sure to customise your application to highlight your experience that aligns with the role. Mention your familiarity with different narrative structures and how you've successfully implemented them in past projects. This helps us see how you fit into our team!
Be Clear and Concise:While we love a good story, your application should be straightforward. Use clear language and structure your thoughts logically. This will help us understand your narrative strategies and design intent without getting lost in the details.
Apply Through Our Website:Don't forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your materials and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows you’re serious about joining our team at Tencent Games!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lightspeed Studios
✨Know Your Narrative Inside Out
Before the interview, dive deep into your past narrative design projects. Be ready to discuss specific examples of how you built character systems or integrated gameplay with narrative. This will show your expertise and passion for storytelling in games.
✨Stay Updated on Trends
Make sure you're up-to-date with the latest trends in narrative design. Research current successful games and their narrative structures. Being able to reference these during your interview will demonstrate your industry knowledge and commitment to continuous learning.
✨Prepare for Collaboration Questions
Since this role involves cross-team collaboration, think of examples where you've successfully worked with different departments. Be ready to explain how you communicated narrative strategies to non-narrative stakeholders, showcasing your strong communication skills.
✨Showcase Your Analytical Skills
Be prepared to discuss how you analyse narrative experiences and assess quality. Bring examples of frameworks or methodologies you've developed in the past. This will highlight your ability to contribute to the Game Research Center's goals and enhance narrative capabilities.
