Narrative Lead (SPINE)

Nekki is a game development studio, the creator of Shadow Fight Arena, Shadow Fight 3, Shadow Fight 2, 11×11, and Vector. The total number of registered users for our games exceeds 1 billion worldwide. We develop and release games for PC, consoles, and mobile platforms.

We are looking for a Narrative Lead for SPINE with strong leadership skills — someone who can build processes within the narrative team and collaborate effectively with other departments to ensure smooth assembly of the final game.

It’s important to note that the role focuses on working with an almost finalized story and characters, coordinating the team, and integrating narrative into the game. Therefore, strong organizational abilities and narrative design expertise are our top priorities.

SPINE is built on Unreal Engine 5 and centers around cinematic gun-fu shootouts. It’s a third-person beat’em’up featuring a full suite of core PC gaming elements: a deep storyline, a unique setting, cutscenes, intriguing enemies, memorable bosses, character progression, and—most importantly—dynamic, visually striking battles with a wide variety of firearms.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the narrative team. Manage the backlog, distribute tasks, oversee deadlines, maintain motivation and a healthy work environment, review the team’s work, and set the quality bar based on agreements with the Game Director

• Manage resources and optimize processes. Control development scope, plan workload, and improve team efficiency while keeping the working comfort of all involved team members in mind
• Collaborate with other teams to ensure full and seamless integration of narrative into gameplay
• Maintain narrative quality. Ensure that scripts, dialogues, story arcs, cutscenes, and voice acting all support the consistency of the story and align with the game’s vision

Requirements:

• Experience leading a team of writers/narrative designers, ideally including localization specialists and voice-over teams

• Experience working on a complex project with deep narrative–gameplay integration and cross-team collaboration (with game designers, artists, etc.)

• Released projects in the portfolio, or 2+ years of work on a large and complex project, even if it’s not yet shipped

What would be a plus:

• English level B2 or higher
• Experience working with Unreal Engine

We offer:

• A great team with a friendly, informal work environment where we share interests, play video games together, and organize internal events (game jams, tournaments, and meetups)

• Opportunities for professional development, including participation in specialized conferences and educational events

• Work remotely from anywhere. Working hours: 10 AM – 7 PM (GMT+3, including a 1-hour break), with the option to adjust

• Support for personal growth: English courses, psychologist sessions and various educational programs

• Internal coins you can collect and exchange for unique merch in our store

If you don’t hear from us within 7-10 days, it means we won’t be moving forward with your application this time. We truly appreciate your interest in our company and the time you took to apply. Thank you!

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