The project

Last Call is a character-driven sci-fi bartending game in the lineage of VA-11 Hall-A, Coffee Talk, and Strange Antiquities. You tend the bar aboard a ship on the last voyage of its life, serving a crew of obsolete robots and oddball creatures who have become a family and are about to scatter. You learn what they want through conversation, then answer with the drink you mix. Those exchanges drive a story about memory, obsolescence, and being present while something you love comes to an end, told with warmth and humor.

We are building Last Call as a short, contained experience, the kind you can start on Friday and finish by Sunday. We've drawn and animated the cast, built the core systems, and scripted a first encounter that plays end to end. The story has a premise, a cast, and a thematic core, and we're looking for a writer to help develop that material into a complete story.

The role

You would work directly with the creative director, game designer, UI/UX designer, and art director. Day-to-day, you would:

• Work with the team to shape the overall story, character arcs, and structure of individual encounters.
• Develop the cast from the art and story material we already have, giving each character a clear voice, history, relationships, and arc.
• Write and structure branching dialogue scene by scene.
• Write the orders themselves as gameplay, from direct requests for a named drink to more interpretive requests the player has to read through conversation.
• Write connective material such as drink names, menu text, environmental text, and other small pieces that support the setting.

Who we’re looking for

You need

• Experience writing for games, ideally with at least one shipped title.
• Experience writing branching dialogue or choice-based narrative.
• The ability to give each character a distinct voice and write tight dialogue within short line limits.
• The ability to write within gameplay constraints and make important information clear without making the dialogue feel instructional.
• The ability to move naturally between comedy and drama without forcing either.
• The ability to collaborate closely, respond to feedback, explain your choices, and revise without losing what made the work strong.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with Yarn Spinner, Ink, Twine, or another branching-dialogue tool.
• A background in adjacent forms such as interactive fiction, visual novels, comics, or television.
• A strong interest in science fiction and the instinct to turn familiar genre ideas into specific, character-first stories.

Details

• Freelance, work-for-hire, with game credit.
• Remote and US-based.
• $35 per hour, up to 200 hours, capped at $7,000.
• Starting within a few weeks of hiring.
• There is no fixed end date or minimum number of hours per week. We will agree on a working pace before the contract begins, and the contract will continue until the agreed scope is complete or the 200-hour cap is reached.
• There is potential for follow-on work as additional writing and revision needs emerge.
• The team meets for 30 minutes on Mondays at 12 p.m. ET and Fridays at 2 p.m. ET. Regular attendance is preferred, and both meetings are recorded for occasional conflicts.

How to apply

Apply through the application form. The form is the only way to apply. It includes a brief writing prompt. We will not ask applicants to complete unpaid homework beyond it. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Surco Games welcomes applicants of every background, identity, and experience. If you need any accommodations during the application process, contact jobs@surcogames.com.