Wizards Hiring 'Narrative Team Manager' for Universes Beyond Projects

Header Image: Art of a moogle by Joseph Weston

Normally, for a massive corporation like Hasbro, random job openings aren't news, but one in particular has fans of Magic: The Gathering curious.

Two weeks ago, a job description at Wizards of the Coast surfaced online soliciting for applicants to fill an open "Narrative Team Manager" role. 

Bearing a base pay that starts at $140,000, the "Narrative Team Manager" is a mid-senior level position focused on growing "a fun-loving and dedicated team of creative design professionals." That doesn't seem too interesting, but it's not for the average Magic content, but rather for Universes Beyond, specifically. 

As per the listed responsibilities of the role, the Narrative Manager would focus primarily on leading a team of designers and identifying the need for "external subject mater experts and writing talent." It's not explained what impact an WotC in-house "narrative team" has on the development of Universes Beyond releases, considering that all UB properties have been external IPs, presumably with their own narrative shepherds overseeing that source material. 

We've seen Universes Beyond grow considerably over the past few years. The concept of outside-of-Magic intellectual properties "guesting" in an official Magic set was first announced in 2021, going from an exclusively Secret Lair release to more recently, Commander deck releases, draft sets, and full-fledged multi-release sets all their own, as we're seeing with Marvel currently. In October, it was announced that Universes Beyond would have their own dedicated release slots each year due to the overwhelmingly positive reaction Wizards of the Coast has garnered from players. 

Just because designers at Wizards of the Coast might be familiar with the incoming guest IPs, that doesn't mean the opposite is true. Those in charge of the UB's source material might have requests and stipulations on how they're represented in Magic, but that doesn't mean they have the institutional knowledge required to ensure that Magic is equally represented in the final product. That's probably where the Narrative Team comes in.

It stands to reason, then, that WotC would seek to foster a more collaborative design process for Universes Beyond. It's not clear if this role has existed for some time, or if it has been newly created -- that's something for applicants to ask if they get that coveted first interview.

Will that be you? If you're throwing your hat into the ring, let us know!