Ex Ubisoft Writer Says Scripted Storytelling In Games Is Now Outdated

Narrative games in 2025 were among the biggest highlights of the year, with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 taking home Game of the Year awards one after another. At the same time, the likes of Dispatch, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, Split Fiction, and more stood out for their storytelling last year.

Many remarked that these games highlighted the best of this medium’s storytelling capabilities, but a former Ubisoft writer appears to disagree. He suggests that this style of scripted storytelling is not the way forward for gaming narratives.

In a recent post on LinkedIn, Lewis Manalo, who worked at Ubisoft Montreal as a Senior Writer between 2024 and 2025, discussed his thoughts on what many call the “narrative game” today. He pointed to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Dispatch, and Split Fiction, explaining that these games stand out as the exceptions to the rule.

Lewis Manalo believes that gamers are more interested in other types of experiences today, with script-heavy design no longer being as rich or interesting. As the developer puts it, narratives should naturally unfold as audiences play through a game.

He points to an example from XCOM 2, recalling a time when the developer lost a valuable grenadier, leading to a powerful narrative moment that came about naturally through playing the game. The developer argues that future games should follow this philosophy, combining storytelling with gameplay for an experience unique to the medium.

Moreover, the former Ubisoft Senior Writer effectively believes cutscene-heavy storytelling is outdated today. As an example, he admits that the cutscene featuring Aerith’s most famous moment in Final Fantasy 7 was impressive on the PS1, but his XCOM 2 experience left a more profound impact.

“Script-heavy design isn’t the future of game narrative. It’s not even the present. Game narrative isn’t something you write. It’s something the player plays.” – Lewis Manalo

Discussing this philosophy, FromSoftware comes to mind for using environmental storytelling and subtle cues to allow players to unravel the many mysteries of its games. In contrast to many other studios, FromSoftware uses cutscenes infrequently, reserving them for key moments.

However, this is still likely just scratching the surface of what Lewis Manalo believes storytelling in games can truly be capable of.