Writer - Madden

Job Description

EA Sports is looking for a script writer in its new Orlando studio to focus on in-game commentary writing for its Madden franchise, with possible involvement in college football, golf and other sports down the line.

We've come a long way from just telling John Madden to "ad lib something about an interception." We now typically record multiple sessions per week with our talent, creating tens of thousands of new lines every year -- all of which need to fit in and work in concert with our existing library of somewhere north of 100,000 lines.

We're looking for someone who really understands the nature of sports broadcasting, and can compose lines for our commentators that reflect how the game sounds on television, to achieve a true broadcast feel in the game. We need someone who can get into the mind of a broadcaster and capture not just what to say, but how to say it. This is less a position about creating yearbook or blog entries about stats and facts, and more about creative writing and being able to create lines that sound natural when they trigger in the game.

Responsibilities:

• Design, write and prepare scripts for play-by-play announcers, color analysts, studio analysts, and other speaking roles across all game modes.
• Attend recording sessions in-studio (as working conditions allow) and work with voice-over talent, producers, directors and audio support staff to ensure that what's recorded meets our high-quality bar.
• Work with implementers and audio staff to ensure that new lines are playing accurately in-game.
• Participate in weekly design meetings and review sessions.
• Play the game to:
• Analyze and critique current builds for quality and accuracy.
• Identify areas for added depth and improvements to commentary.
• Identify opportunities in commentary due to differences in how users PLAY the game of Madden, as compared to a typical NFL game.

Requirements:

• Strong football and NFL knowledge required! Candidate should have deep knowledge of players, teams, recent news, offensive and defensive formations, history, terminology, etc.
• Creative or sports writing background/experience.
• Familiarity with the Madden NFL product line highly desirable.
• In depth knowledge of real world sports broadcast play-by-play and analyst commentary. (Actual on-air work in, say, college radio or internet simulcasting welcomed but not required.)
• Knowledge and ability to work in Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.
• Any experience on game development teams in narrative design, system design, career progression, writing and/or other aspects of design is desired, but not required.
• Experience as a collaborative team player who understands good story ideas can come from anywhere on the team.
• Ability to hit writing deadlines, so that ample review can be given to content/rewrites to happen prior to sessions with commentary talent.
• Strong communication skills/ability to solicit feedback from the team on your writing prior to deadlines.