10 Scummiest Moves Made By Video Game Publishers
2. Rockstar Bragging About Overworking Employees
It's no
doubt that developers put blood sweat and tears into their work. All to bring
us amazing worlds to explore and unforgettable stories that stay with you for
years to come. However, when the studio starts boasting about overworking its
staff you start to think was it all necessary?
This all came around with Red Dead Redemption 2 when the game was forced into what’s called a crunch period. A stage in development where everything needs to be finished and ready to ship as soon as possible. Involving employees staying late nights and reportedly working up to 100-hour workweeks which is just crazy for any job.
Unfortunately, this happens a lot in the gaming industry at the moment as most companies are guilty of this but Rockstar stands out here. This came about when the co-founder of Rockstar Dan Houser praised these people for this unhealthy behavior. Made even worse so they had to do it to meet the games tight deadline.
It’s stated that this wasn’t forced as Rockstar never made anyone work overtime but if you’re a developer on a project you want it to be at its best. If it fails it looks bad on you.
Maybe we could have done without a side quest or two if it means the team got a good night’s sleep.