TL;DR version:
Bungie put up a bunch of narrative job positions. One of them is for a Narrative Director for major releases, and another is for a Narrative Director for small, frequent updates in between the expansion packs.
The key quote here is:
Whereas the other position lists:
There are three possible ways to interpret this:
Scenario 1.) They're bringing back DLC packs between expansion packs. I don't actually think they're doing this given the direction of the gaming industry, but it's certainly possible.
Scenario 2.) The free updates they do throughout the year (supported by microtransactions, and rumored to be more frequent and substantial by Shinobi) will have notably more narrative aspects than before. These positions include stuff like cutscene teams and etc, so this is presumably more expansive narrative content than what they have in the small updates now.
Scenario 3.) They're doing similar updates to what they do now, and it takes about 30 Bungie employees 2-4 months to write 30 lines of dialog. I'm going to guess this is not the correct answer, but who knows.
It's also worth noting that the narrative team sounds unusually large based on some of the wording in these jobs, which I guess makes sense when you have a 1000+ person development team. They're also hiring these people now which is kind of interesting given their release schedule.
Long version:
Here are the jobs and the highlights. It's kind of odd that they're hiring all of these positions now when the game is hypothetically launching in like 9-10 months, but hey whatever.
Head of Narrative Development: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/44854
Notes:
- The standout thing here is what the department is, and that it's actually an entire department now with a bunch of major senior job openings. Given that they're hiring all these roles, I'm guessing this is a relatively new or at least recently revamped department.
Senior Narrative Producer: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/45339
Notes:
- If we interpret "medium-sized group" as 5-10 people and assume a 1 producer per 10 staff member ratio, we'd get about 50-100 people. It's possible Bungie considers 3 people to be a medium sized group, and that they have one producer per every 5 employees, but I'm going to assume they're working under more standard conditions, or at least the conditions suggested by the credits listing for Destiny 1.
Narrative Director: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/44855
Notes:
- So this job clearly lists that this is the position managing the plot for "major releases", which is presumably the base game and the expansion packs.
- It also uses the phrase "a narrative director" versus "the game director", so this is clearly a position that's replicated to multiple people. One of the other narrative directors is listed below, but they could have a lot of these for like transmedia or whatever.
- It refers to narrative channels a lot. Someone with more industry experience could probably clarify this, but I'd interpret their current "narrative channels" as "the website" and "the game." I'm guessing they're considering novels or shorts or something else as well.
Live Narrative Director: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/44856
Notes:
- Here's the position the thread is really about. As you can see, the most common themes here are "get lots of narrative content done quickly" and "make sure this ties into the plot of the current base game/expansion".
- It also is very particular that these are for frequent releases within a calendar year, so it's not referring to the expansions.
- Again, it's possible they need lots of people to have Cayde and Ghost talk at you with a handful of new dialog lines every 4-6 months, but I'm going to guess that the future will look more like MMO patches where there's new content with notable plotline development in updates.
Bungie put up a bunch of narrative job positions. One of them is for a Narrative Director for major releases, and another is for a Narrative Director for small, frequent updates in between the expansion packs.
The key quote here is:
As a [Live] Narrative Director, you will direct the storytelling efforts for regular, small-scale Destiny releases throughout the calendar year.
Whereas the other position lists:
As a Narrative Director, you will be responsible for directing the storytelling efforts for major Destiny releases.
There are three possible ways to interpret this:
Scenario 1.) They're bringing back DLC packs between expansion packs. I don't actually think they're doing this given the direction of the gaming industry, but it's certainly possible.
Scenario 2.) The free updates they do throughout the year (supported by microtransactions, and rumored to be more frequent and substantial by Shinobi) will have notably more narrative aspects than before. These positions include stuff like cutscene teams and etc, so this is presumably more expansive narrative content than what they have in the small updates now.
Scenario 3.) They're doing similar updates to what they do now, and it takes about 30 Bungie employees 2-4 months to write 30 lines of dialog. I'm going to guess this is not the correct answer, but who knows.
It's also worth noting that the narrative team sounds unusually large based on some of the wording in these jobs, which I guess makes sense when you have a 1000+ person development team. They're also hiring these people now which is kind of interesting given their release schedule.
Long version:
Here are the jobs and the highlights. It's kind of odd that they're hiring all of these positions now when the game is hypothetically launching in like 9-10 months, but hey whatever.
Head of Narrative Development: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/44854
Head of Narrative Development
Bungie is looking for an experienced Director of Development with a passion for the craft of storytelling to manage our studio’s growing Narrative Department, which is comprised of the following disciplines: Writing, Cinematics, Narrative Design, Localization, and Audio.
This role is a management position focused on mentoring Narrative Department team members; promoting and fostering excellence in the art of storytelling for games, and driving departmental recruitment and hiring strategy. You will also develop training processes and present growth opportunities for individual team members as well as oversee performance reviews. In addition, you will be a key member of Bungie’s leadership team, fostering consistent management practices and culture across the Studio.
With a focus on people, processes, and culture, this is a wonderful opportunity to build, develop, and motivate a talented team of storytellers while establishing new standards in narrative techniques.
Notes:
- The standout thing here is what the department is, and that it's actually an entire department now with a bunch of major senior job openings. Given that they're hiring all these roles, I'm guessing this is a relatively new or at least recently revamped department.
Senior Narrative Producer: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/45339
Senior Narrative Producer
Destiny tells a tale that unfolds over many years, over many epic adventures undertaken by the player. To keep us focused on the longer arc, we need a Senior Narrative Producer to oversee our story-telling efforts across the studio. The Senior Narrative Producer will be responsible for defining the high-level narrative schedule and scope for each Destiny release. They will support the creative leaders to actualize their story vision in the most expedient way possible. And they will drive processes to ensure the seamless, on-time delivery of all narrative disciplines (writing, cinematics, audio, localization) across Bungie's agile teams.
This position requires understanding and passion for game development with a particular expertise in storytelling. We need a leader to innovate on our processes at the same rate as we innovate on the game. We need a professional who is highly organized, has outstanding communication skills, has management experience, and has proven experience in team leadership.
Required Skills
- Experience managing a medium-sized group of producers on a shipped game title or equivalent product.
Notes:
- If we interpret "medium-sized group" as 5-10 people and assume a 1 producer per 10 staff member ratio, we'd get about 50-100 people. It's possible Bungie considers 3 people to be a medium sized group, and that they have one producer per every 5 employees, but I'm going to assume they're working under more standard conditions, or at least the conditions suggested by the credits listing for Destiny 1.
Narrative Director: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/44855
Narrative Director
Bungie is looking for a seasoned Narrative Director to help us tell the story of Destiny.
As a Narrative Director, you will be responsible for directing the storytelling efforts for major Destiny releases. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of interactive storytelling with strong organizational and leadership skills. You will work closely with the Game Director and Project Leads to define the high-level story vision and help align the various Narrative Department teams responsible for implementing that vision across the narrative channels.
With a focus on cross-departmental collaboration, this is a wonderful opportunity to work with and direct a talented team of storytellers and deliver compelling narratives in the Destiny universe.
Responsibilities:
- Identify opportunities to expand and deepen narrative channels.
Required Skills:
- Experience orchestrating high quality, large-scale narrative content across multiple story channels.
- Background in writing and a passion for storytelling in non-gaming media a plus.
Notes:
- So this job clearly lists that this is the position managing the plot for "major releases", which is presumably the base game and the expansion packs.
- It also uses the phrase "a narrative director" versus "the game director", so this is clearly a position that's replicated to multiple people. One of the other narrative directors is listed below, but they could have a lot of these for like transmedia or whatever.
- It refers to narrative channels a lot. Someone with more industry experience could probably clarify this, but I'd interpret their current "narrative channels" as "the website" and "the game." I'm guessing they're considering novels or shorts or something else as well.
Live Narrative Director: https://www.bungie.net/en/About/Careers/Detail/44856
Live Narrative Director
Bungie is looking for a seasoned Narrative Director to help us tell the ongoing Destiny story.
As a Narrative Director, you will direct the storytelling efforts for regular, small-scale Destiny releases throughout the calendar year. Our ideal candidate has a deep understanding of interactive storytelling with strong organizational and leadership skills as well as an ability to work with external partners. A proven record of prioritizing resources against creative goals in a fast-paced release environment is a must.
You will work closely with the Game Director and Project Leads to define the high-level story vision and ensure alignment of the various Narrative Department teams responsible for implementing that vision across various narrative channels.
With a focus on cross-departmental collaboration, this is a wonderful opportunity to work with and direct a talented team of storytellers while delivering compelling narratives in the Destiny universe.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and communicate a story vision that supports the Release Pillars through structure, character, and theme.
- Coordinate with Narrative Discipline Leads to ensure the content meets pre-established franchise narrative goals and supports the Release Pillars.
- Rapidly iterate on small-scale projects on a condensed timeline and ensure successful completion.
- Ensure narrative scope and schedules align with the production plan and are achievable.
Notes:
- Here's the position the thread is really about. As you can see, the most common themes here are "get lots of narrative content done quickly" and "make sure this ties into the plot of the current base game/expansion".
- It also is very particular that these are for frequent releases within a calendar year, so it's not referring to the expansions.
- Again, it's possible they need lots of people to have Cayde and Ghost talk at you with a handful of new dialog lines every 4-6 months, but I'm going to guess that the future will look more like MMO patches where there's new content with notable plotline development in updates.