Narrative Designer - Sports
TLDR
Develop narrative systems for a trading card game that authentically capture the energy and mythology of sports while collaborating with creative and game design teams.
About Us
Role Summary
We're seeking a Narrative Designer to help bring the world of sports to life within a trading card game.
Sports has its own energy, mythology, and language. The work is about translating that into a game in ways that feel authentic and earned.
You'll work closely with Creative, Game Design, and Art to develop narrative systems that live inside the cards themselves — where mechanics, visuals, and writing reinforce one another.
The ideal candidate brings sharp storytelling instincts, a systems mindset, and a serious, lifelong relationship with sports — the kind of knowledge that comes from years of paying close attention, not from research.
What You'll Do
Bring the Spirit of Sports to the Card Frame
- Translate the emotional weight of sports into card-level storytelling.
- Capture the voice, cadence, and texture of how sports are talked about — by fans, by broadcasters, by the people inside the game.
- Help shape the editorial tone and identity of the product over time.
Integrate Creative with Game and Product
- Partner with Game Design so mechanics and narrative reinforce one another.
- Collaborate with Art and Creative to align visual and written storytelling, including writing art descriptions used by illustrators.
- Contribute to set themes, narrative arcs, and standout moments across releases.
Create and Support Narrative Content
- Write flavor text, card names, and supporting narrative content.
- Contribute to internal style guides, voice documents, and editorial standards.
- Support external storytelling efforts (web, marketing, potential media extensions).
What You Bring
- A deep, lived knowledge of sports fandom — history, culture, eras, players, and the texture of how the game is followed and talked about.
- 3+ years of experience in narrative design, writing, journalism, or editorial work — ideally with a meaningful body of work in or around sports.
- Excellent writing across both short-form (flavor text, headlines, captions) and long-form (features, voice guides, editorial frameworks).
- A systems mindset — the ability to think about how individual pieces accrue into something larger, and how editorial choices compound over time.
- Comfort balancing creative vision with system constraints, and working in collaborative, cross-functional environments.
Preferred Qualifications
- A background in sports writing, journalism, broadcasting, or publishing.
- A genuine passion for sports card collecting and trading card games.
- Experience working on trading card games, tabletop games, or live service games.
- Experience contributing to franchise, brand, or editorial development at scale.
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The salary range represents base pay only and does not include short-term or long-term incentive compensation. This salary range is specific to Seattle and may not be applicable to other locations. When determining base pay, as part of a final compensation package, we consider several factors such as location, experience, qualifications, and training. For information about our benefits, please visit https://benefitsatfanatics.com/
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Fanatics Collectibles specializes in creating and selling physical and digital trading cards and memorabilia, holding exclusive licenses with major sports leagues like the MLB, NFL, and NBA. By partnering with top international sports teams and entertainment properties, we deliver a diverse range of collectibles tailored for passionate sports fans.
- Founded
- Founded 2011
- Employees
- 500+ employees
- Industry
- Retailing
- Total raised
- $4.9B raised