Brannon Boren

Past

• Creative Writer at NCsoft
• Creative Writer at THQ
• Game Localization Writer at uclick

• Senior Narrative Game Designer at LucasArts
• Creative Content Writer at Microsoft Game Studios
• Game Content Writer at Exile Game Studio
• Lead Writer at Midway Games
• Game Community Content Writer at Microsoft Casual Games
• Narrative Game Designer at Monolith
• Licensed Product Content Writer at Alderac Entertainment Group
• Marketing Content Writer at Xbox.com
• Creative Licensing Writer at Microsoft Game Studios

see less...

9 more...

Education

• University of Washington
• North Seattle Community College

Recommended

10 people have recommended Brannon

Connections

131 connections

Industry

Computer Games

Brannon Boren’s Summary

My extensive experience includes work for Microsoft, Warner Bros., and Lucasfilm. I'm seeking a creative team dedicated to producing a top-tier product.

Brannon Boren’s Specialties:

Concept development, story & characters, creative licensing, synergy of story and design, user-experience

Brannon Boren’s Experience

• Creative Writer

  NCsoft

  (Public Company; Computer Games industry)

  May 2009 — September 2009 (5 months)

  Worked with a team to rewrite and westernize two-million words of text for the North American launch of the popular Korean MMO game, Aion.
  • Wrote and edited dialog, item text, and quests
  • Localized concepts and language for western audiences
  • Designed new taxonomies for item, skill, and monster names
  • Selected and assigned English audio dialog to NPCs in game
  • Performed QA checks on pre-release content; reported/fixed bugs

• Creative Writer

  THQ

  (Public Company; THQI; Computer Games industry)

  January 2009 — September 2009 (9 months)

  Created a comprehensive and expandable story bible to organize all current creative assets for this casual fantasy-themed MMORPG for kids & teens.
  • Created a story bible for production and licensing
  • Authored marketing fiction short stories for web promotions
  • Wrote quest dialog, storylines, and cinematic scripts
  • Localized concepts and language for western audiences

• Game Localization Writer

  uclick

  (Privately Held; Publishing industry)

  August 2008 — October 2008 (3 months)

  Wrote new text and localized existing text for two Russian-developed casual PC games: Jetsetter and Lavender's Botanicals.
  • Wrote and edited quest dialog and item text
  • Created new English text to match existing art assets for puzzles
  • Localized concepts and language for western audiences

• Senior Narrative Game Designer

  LucasArts

  (Privately Held; Computer Games industry)

  June 2007 — June 2008 (1 year 1 month)

  Senior writer responsible for narrative development on a new I.P. for the
  Lucas Arts concept incubator team.
  • Concept development, pitches, game flow, story structure
  • Wrote a story bible for continuity of characters and setting
  • Worked with film & TV writers on trans-media development
  • Collaborated with programmers, systems designers, and artists, in
  nimble sub-teams developing game play prototypes

• Creative Content Writer

  Microsoft Game Studios

  (Public Company; MSFT; Computer Software industry)

  June 2006 — March 2007 (10 months)

  Acted as content coordinator and/or writer for web sites featuring I.P.
  content for Gears of War, Perfect Dark Zero, Zoo Tycoon, Viva Piñata, Crackdown, and many others.
  • Planned content production and worked with Site Managers to get
  approvals and set schedules for English and localized sites
  • Wrote articles, reviews, teasers, promotions, guides, and contests
  • Contributed writing to the Gears of War story bible

• Game Content Writer

  Exile Game Studio

  (Writing and Editing industry)

  February 2006 — May 2006 (4 months)

  Worked with Exile Games to develop content for two pulp adventure game books: Hollow Earth Expedition Core Rulebook and Secrets of the Surface World. Contributed secret societies, fictional history, monstrous plants, fierce amazons, barbarous pirates, despicable Nazis, and heroic adventurers!

• Lead Writer

  Midway Games

  (Public Company; MWY; Computer Games industry)

  October 2005 — February 2006 (5 months)

  Handled pre-production content development for this sandbox-style Xbox 360 title set in a fictionalized over-the-top version of Las Vegas.
  • Created a story bible for characters, setting, and storylines
  • Designed fictional locations and background stories
  • Charted potential story arcs and mechanics for design use
  • Worked with producers and designers to create an achievable
  content plan that met the needs of all stakeholders

• Game Community Content Writer

  Microsoft Casual Games

  (Public Company; MSFT; Computer Software industry)

  June 2005 — November 2005 (6 months)

  Wrote content for community web sites promoting casual game titles such as Settlers of Catan, Zuma, Chuzzle, Bejeweled, and lots more.
  • Wrote articles, strategy guides, promotions
  • Scripted game show audio content and trivia games
  • Ensured scheduled updates and ad rotations were done on time
  • Coded HTML/XML and propped pages with Microsoft’s CMS

• Narrative Game Designer

  Monolith

  (Privately Held; Computer Games industry)

  January 2004 — February 2005 (1 year 2 months)

  Served as primary content developer for a MMORPG set in the world of the Matrix trilogy of films.
  • Wrote a Matrix story bible to centralize information on the setting
  • Created new characters, organizations, and locations consistent with previously established canon in the property
  • Scripted story arcs, missions, and dialog
  • Wrote design docs, help text, marketing copy, and web content

• Licensed Product Content Writer

  Alderac Entertainment Group

  (Writing and Editing industry)

  September 2003 — June 2004 (10 months)

  Made the universe safe for humanity by contributing to the Stargate SG-1 line of role-playing game books. Credits include: First Steps, Fallout, Fantastic Frontiers, Friends and Foes, and Living Gods.

• Marketing Content Writer

  Xbox.com

  (Computer Games industry)

  August 2003 — March 2004 (8 months)

  Created content to showcase dozens of upcoming titles on Xbox.com.
  • Previewed games and researched titles to gather needed information
  • Wrote fiction, reviews, and strategy-oriented content for Xbox.com

• Creative Licensing Writer

  Microsoft Game Studios

  (Public Company; MSFT; Computer Software industry)

  January 2001 — June 2003 (2 years 6 months)

  Supported game studios and the biz dev licensing team as story bible developer and continuity guru for prominent Microsoft game properties.
  • Co-authored comprehensive story bibles for MS properties, including Halo, Crimson Skies, Quantum Redshift, The Unseen, and many more
  • Created pitch kits to showcase MS game properties to licensees
  • Contributed characters, story, setting, and dialog to MS game titles
  • Launched successful licensed products including novels, comic
  books, action figures, and branded merchandise

Brannon Boren’s Education

• University of Washington

  School of Public Health and Community Medicine 1995 — 1997

• North Seattle Community College

  Biology 1993 — 1995

Additional Information

Brannon Boren’s Interests:

Space Sciences, Biological Sciences, Transmedia Licensing, Military, Espionage, Technology, Sci-fi, Games.

Brannon Boren’s Groups:

Member of the Writers Guild of America, West

•    Women in Games International
•    Game Writing
•    Game Creator's Network
•    Role Playing Game Designers
•    VideoGame Professionals
•    Online Gaming Marketing