About Me
Hello and welcome!
My name is Emrys Vimal du Monteil, a narrative designer, writer and worldbuilder currently based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Born in France but having also lived in Germany, Australia, the USA and the UK, I was trained as an academic and specialised in Weird Fiction, poetry and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien before making the transition to the games industry.
Although I came to games as a second career rather than my original path, I have been playing, designing and writing games for over two decades, especially in the TTRPG and board game spaces.
As a designer and writer, I find myself drawn to the potential games have for weaving moments that cover the whole gamut of the human experience, from the most intimate and unique to the most universal.
My expertise as a worldbuilder lies in crafting worlds that have a story to tell, that will inhabit a player as much as the player inhabits them, and that are committed to delivering strong messages. I believe there is an intrinsic wonder to the world and to being human, and that there is nothing more satisfying than using my neverending curiosity in people and cultures to make a player’s world just a bit broader and richer.
As an experienced designer having worked in AA and AAA space as well as on independant and solo projects, I look forward to bringing my expertise, multicultural background, curiosity and passion for educating and for empathising to your project!
Languages
French
100%
Spanish
65%
Romanian
30%
English
100%
Italian
46%
German
10%
Languages
French
100%
English
100%
Spanish
65%
Italian
46%
Romanian
30%
German
10%
Testimonials
"Built on a real academic grounding, Emrys has an expert command of lorekeeping and world creation. He’s a great narrative designer and a calm, supportive presence in any team."
"I have had the absolute pleasure of working alongside Emrys at Ubisoft, and I can confidently say they are one of the most knowledgeable and talented individuals I have ever collaborated with.
What truly sets Emrys apart is their remarkable blend of expertise and approachability. Their ability to weave intricate, immersive stories is unmatched, and their deep understanding of historical contexts adds a unique depth to every project they touch.
Beyond their professional skills, Emrys is a strong advocate for health and positivity in the workplace. Their friendly and supportive nature fosters an inclusive, motivating environment, and I’ve personally benefited from their encouragement and insight."
"Emrys is a master of world building and lore design, able to wrangle detailed fictional histories and cultures into a surfaced player experience. They channels their academic background into a disciplined approach to research, which they were always willing to share with the team, to the benefit of all of their colleagues. Furthermore, they are a talented storyteller, writing dialogue and mission designs that fit the fantasy of the project, while injecting their personal flare and humour.
It was a genuine pleasure to work with Emrys. Their bright outlook and unique wit were a hugely positive influence on the culture of our team, and I hope to work with them again."
Games Portfolio
Professional Experience
Narrative Designer - World Lore
Jan 2021 - Ongoing, Ubisoft Reflections (Newcastle, UK)
As part of a large multi-studio team building a brand new IP for an open world game, I was the principal owner of all things world lore and authenticity related.
I was privileged enough to work with teams across the entire project, from game, narrative, level and technical design to audio, art, monetisation, production, quality control and direction. l also acted as a liaison with several external stakeholders, including the research units at Ubisoft HQ in Paris and several co-dev strike teams, as well as providing media watch services to the direction team to keep them informed of any instances of relevance of our chosen setting and fantasy in current political and cultural affairs.
While I was initially hired as a worldbuilder, my work on the project and within the company soon turned into something far more wide-reaching and tentacular, allowing me to use my skills as a writer, designer, worldbuilder, educator and mediator in equal measures.
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Game Writer
Jan 2020 - Jan 2021, Ubisoft BlueByte (Mainz, DE)
As the sole game writer on the Anno 1800 narrative team at the time, I was hired to write all player-facing content for seasons 2 and 3 of Anno 1800's post-launch, including the unprecedently ambitious narrative-focused DLC Land of Lions.
My work on Anno 1800 primarily included writing all in-game character audio, UI text, quest text, flavour text and narrative text (Expeditions and world puzzles).
While I was mostly tasked with taking the design documents written by our three narrative designers and converting those into writing that was tonally and thematically coherent within the stringent constraints of Anno gameplay and player experience, I was also part of the writers' rooms wherein we designed the overarching narrative, characters and worldbuilding for seasons 2 and 3.
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Non Professional Experience
Lead Designer
2019 - 2025
Collectif Taliesin is a small non-profit organisation dedicated to providing narrative and game design expertise to other non-profit initiatives for free.
We originally formed as a small design team of 5 to create our own TTRPG setting and campaign, Project Odyssey.
The project was terminated in 2024, but gave us valuable experience in project management, writing, design and working within the constraints of volunteer time commitments and resources.Outside of Project Odyssey, our members have worked with scouting movements across France to design and animate open-air, en