Available to hire
Annie VanderMeer has been doing narrative, writing, and design work for games since joining the industry in 2004, working on both AAA and indie projects across multiple genres and styles.
She has also worked in the tabletop space, assisting in the design of Fantasy Flight’s “Legacy of Dragonholt,” and contributed multiple short stories to the Legend of the Nine Rings, Twilight Imperium, and Arkham Horror franchises.
Most recently, she and developers Wren Brier and Tim Dawson won the 2022 BAFTA in Narrative for their work on Unpacking, a game about uncovering the story of a main character while helping them unpack their belongings throughout their life.
In 2019, she founded the Tiamat Collective, a company dedicated to supporting fellow creatives in finding compelling work and creating exciting experiences, and released their first game, The Passenger, in January 2020.
Annie has been a frequent participant and coordinator of panels and talks on various areas of game development at PAX West and LudoNarraCon, and has been interviewed on various podcasts, streams, and YouTube shows. In March 2023 she started the show FrieNDA with friend and fellow game designer Mike Stout: a podcast-not-podcast on YouTube “where two game developer people talk to another guest game developer person about game development stuff.”
Skills
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Work Experience
Internal & Co-Development Projects Senior Narrative Designer / Narrative / Project Lead at Digimancy Entertainment
February 1, 2025 - March 31, 2026Continued internal and co-development narrative and design leadership on multiple projects, including RPG worldbuilding, narrative system development, and story/content integration with gameplay and production pipelines.
Internal & Co-Development Projects (Senior Narrative Designer, Narrative / Project Lead) at Digimancy Entertainment
February 1, 2025 - March 1, 2026Returned to co-development efforts across narrative/system design for multiple projects, continuing leadership and writing contributions including quest and location worldbuilding, narrative systems evaluation, and item/pickup text writing using studio tools and Unreal Engine 5.
Writers Room Lead at Hardball Games
May 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025Led a writers room to create backstory and characters consistent with gameplay and theme; contributed to demo-aligned narrative content.
Principal Writer at Tiny Bull
March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2025Developed voices for main and secondary characters and authored localization-support guides. Wrote all dialogue, quest text, and item descriptions, and edited drafts to maintain consistent tone. Collaborated closely with the Narrative Lead to shape the game’s world, including cultures, history, and languages, while also reviewing builds and providing detailed feedback about narrative, combat, level design, and UI.
Broken Roads - Quest/Dialogues & Post-Release Area Revamp Support at Drop Bear Bytes
August 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024Authored quests, wrote dialogue, and supported future expansion content. Provided post-release assistance with a complete revamp of a major area, including feedback on story changes.
Vanguard - Narrative Systems Development at Remedy Entertainment
August 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024Created narrative systems for a new AAA IP in collaboration with the lead narrative designer. Assessed toolsets for studio suitability and wrote in-game item text/pickups.
Project Armadillo - Core Game Design Documentation & Pitch/Demo Direction at Digimancy Entertainment
August 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024Developed a core Game Design document including systems and story. Directed art and production for pitch deck and demo creation.
Unannounced RPG / Locations & Quests Coordination at Digimancy Entertainment (Obsidian)
August 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024Coordinated internal teams to develop locations, quests, and other worldbuilding elements; wrote using internal tools and worked within Unreal Engine 5.
Internal & Co-Development Projects Senior Narrative Designer / Narrative / Project Lead at Digimancy Entertainment
August 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024Coordinated internal teams on unannounced RPG work including locations, quests, and worldbuilding elements using internal writing tools and Unreal Engine 5. Authored core game design documentation, directed art/production for pitch materials and demos, and supported AAA narrative system creation and in-game item text/pickups. Contributed quests and dialogue for post-release support and major area revamp.
Senior Narrative Designer, Narrative / Project Lead at Digimancy Entertainment
August 1, 2022 - January 31, 2024Coordinated and developed narrative-driven worldbuilding elements including locations and quests for an unannounced RPG (Obsidian), using internal writing tools and Unreal Engine 5 workflows. Led story and systems creation for “Project Armadillo” by building a core game design document covering systems and story, and directing art/production for a pitch deck and playable demo. Partnered with lead narrative design on “Vanguard” at Remedy to create narrative systems for a new AAA IP and authored text for game items/pickups. Created quests and dialogue for “Broken Roads,” supported post-release through major area revamps, and refined story changes based on feedback. Also contributed to pitching and refinement efforts across multiple third-party and internal projects.
Narrative & Game Design Consultant (asynchronous multiplayer dialogue model) at Magic DAYW
May 1, 2022 - July 31, 2022Drafted and proposed asynchronous multiplayer dialogue interaction model; created Twine-based visual mockups demonstrating proposed design look and flow.
Tom Clancy’s Homeland - Barkstrings & Chatter Writer at Red Storm Entertainment
May 1, 2022 - PresentWrote extensive enemy barkstrings and NPC chatter for the project.
League of Legends - Character/Setting Descriptions at Riot Games
May 1, 2022 - PresentWrote character and setting descriptions for unique universe items and supported an on-retainer writer’s room through collaboration with Riot and other contractors.
Narrative & Game Design Consultant at Magic DAYW (Mobile Project)
May 1, 2022 - July 31, 2022Drafted overview of original design and advised project direction. Revamped design documentation structure. Created and reworked core systems, including a model for asynchronous multiplayer dialogue interactions, using Twine for visual feature design mockups and look/flow demonstrations.
Narrative & Game Design Consultant at Magic DAYW (Unannounced Mobile Project)
May 1, 2022 - July 31, 2022Drafted high-level original design and advised on project direction. Revamped the structure of design documentation and created/reworked core systems including a model for asynchronous multiplayer dialogue interactions. Produced extensive visual design models in Twine to demonstrate proposed look and flow for key features and interactions.
Contract Designer / Narrative / Writer at LINX Agency
May 1, 2022 - PresentServed as a contract narrative designer/writer across multiple titles. For League of Legends (Riot Games), wrote character and setting descriptions for unique universe items and supported an on-retainer writers room. For Tom Clancy’s Homeland (Red Storm Entertainment), wrote extensive barkstrings and NPC chatter. For OutRage: FightFest (Hardball Games), led a writers room to create consistent backstory, characters, and a demo aligned with gameplay and theme.
Living World Season 5 - Open-World Storytelling Collaboration at ArenaNet / Guild Wars 2
December 1, 2019 - April 30, 2022Collaborated with narrative on open-world storytelling and built content for quests and activities aligned with seasonal themes.
End of Dragons - Arborstone Hub Feature Proposals & Implementation Collaboration at ArenaNet / Guild Wars 2
December 1, 2019 - April 30, 2022Spearheaded hub design and feature proposals for Arborstone and collaborated on implementation; created open-world content including events, activities, mini-dungeons, and spawn-related gameplay.
Senior Content Designer at ArenaNet
December 1, 2019 - April 30, 2022Spearheaded design and feature proposals for the Arborstone hub and collaborated on implementation. Created open-world content including events, activities, mini-dungeons, and spawn logic for End of Dragons. Partnered with Narrative on Living World Season 5 open-world storytelling, building quests and activities that supported narrative beats.
Founder/Project Lead at Tiamat Collective
September 1, 2019 - PresentLed and created multiple narrative-driven games, writing and designing content end-to-end. Developed visual novel projects including narrative, scripting, and art direction using tools such as RenPy (and earlier Twine prototypes).
Founder / Project Lead at Tiamat Collective
September 1, 2019 - PresentLed multiple narrative-driven projects as founder and project lead. Wrote, designed, scripted, and created all art for “The Passenger,” an adventure/visual novel built in RenPy. Developed the concept for “hue: a game about a choice,” handling writing, scripting, and art; initially implemented in Twine and later expanded/rebuilt as a standalone RenPy version.
Unpacking - Master Narrative Documentation & Plot-Item Mockups at Witch Beam
August 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020Built and iterated on lists and visual mockups of plot-based items to fill game spaces, including guidance for item use and placement, under a master narrative structure.
Narrative Designer at Witch Beam
August 1, 2019 - March 31, 2020Worked with the core team to create a master narrative document guiding game structure. Built and iterated on lists and visual mockups of plot-based items used to fill game spaces, including item use and placement planning.
Wanderer Update - Procedural Placement & Player Interaction Content at System Era Softworks / Astroneer
January 1, 2018 - October 31, 2019Created content to expand player-world interaction and developed new player experiences. Used procedural probability systems for placement and balanced/implemented additional gameplay systems.
Writer-Designer / Art Lead / Project Lead at System Era Softworks
January 1, 2018 - October 31, 2019Created focused content to expand player-world interaction and developed new player experiences (the “Wanderer” update). Utilized procedural probability systems for placement and balanced/implemented new and existing gameplay systems including Research Items, Scrap, Puzzles, and updates to Hazards.
Writer -Designer, Art Lead, Project Lead at System Era Softworks
January 1, 2018 - October 31, 2019Created focused content to expand player-world interaction and developed new player experiences, including the “Wanderer” update. Utilized a procedural probability system for placement. Balanced and implemented multiple new systems including Research Items, Scrap, and Puzzles, and updated related systems like Hazards.
Writer-Designer / Art Lead / Project Lead at DoubleBear Productions
March 1, 2009 - August 31, 2019Co-created original IP and developed systems and content, wrote lore and cutscenes, and directed artists in multiple style formats (including pixel art/animations and 2D/UI art). Authored majority of original story/text and structured/scripted an entire game, adapted IP to a new format, compiled/released game builds, and supported Kickstarter/fulfillment materials including a “Making Of” book and print manual. Interviewed and helped headhunt talent through crafted interview questions and tests for artists/designers.
Writer-Designer, Art Lead, Project Lead at DoubleBear Productions
March 1, 2009 - August 31, 2019Co-created original IP “PANIC in the Multiverse!” (unreleased), developing game systems and content, writing lore and cutscenes, and directing artists across multiple style formats including pixel art/animations and 2D/UI art. For “PANIC at Multiverse High!,” wrote the majority of original story and text, adapted the IP to a new game format, structured and scripted the entire game, adapted setting art, and compiled/released all game builds. Created new IP “Dead State,” developing systems, content, characters, UI, dialogue and system text, and also designing/implementing levels, balancing item stats, managing loot placement, and building character skills. Supported Kickstarter materials and fulfillment (including a “Making Of” book and print manual) and led hiring by headhunting/interviewing potential talent with targeted tests for artists and designers.
Education
B.A. in Literature at Macalester College
January 1, 1999 - January 1, 2003B.A. in Literature at Macalester College
January 1, 1999 - December 31, 2003Qualifications
BAFTA (Best Narrative) - Unpacking
January 1, 2021 - August 5, 2026BAFTA Winner (Best Narrative - Unpacking)
January 1, 2021 - August 5, 2026Industry Experience
Gaming, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services
Skills
Experience Level
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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