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- GTA 6 is entering the final stage of production.
- Rockstar Games is asking its developers to work in-person for the full week to accelerate work on the title.
- However, the developers have expressed concerns about health and potential crunch.
Recently, it was reported that Rockstar Games had informed employees about the decision to begin full weeks of in-person work for productivity and security reasons as GTA 6 approaches its final phase.
However, it appears that this decision hasn’t been met with positivity from the employees, who are currently criticizing Rockstar Games’ reckless decisions amid fears of crunch and overwork.
Why it matters: Various developers, including Rockstar Games, have been known to engage in crunch when close to releasing their games.
While this move aims to increase the productivity of work on GTA 6 and to deliver the polish everyone expects, the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which is the representative of game developers in the UK, has publicly criticized the studio for this move.
It has been reported that last year, over 170 Rockstar Games workers in the UK signed a petition against the mandatory days of work in the office, and now they are accusing management of breaking promises.
Some workers have also expressed concerns about health, living arrangements, and overwork, as they fear another wave of crunch.
After so many broken promises, we now fear management may even be paving the way for a return to toxic ‘crunch’ practices.
-anonymous Rockstar worker
Developers are calling for management to respect the decision to work in-house, stating that this practice has become a lifeline for many professionals. They hope to work with the management in order to reach an agreement suitable for everyone.
Senior leadership need to rethink their reckless decision making.
-anonymous Rockstar worker
It has been reported that some of them have health issues preventing them from full-time in-person work. Therefore, Rockstar Games’ initiative has not been universally praised.
On the subject of crunch, this studio became infamous for its practices during work on Red Dead Redemption 2. Many employees worked 50-60-hour weeks on the game, while senior developers like Dan Houser even spent 100-hour weeks on the development at one point.
This history is the primary reason behind the reluctance to accept Rockstar Games’ current announcement. However, the team has yet to make a decision following the criticism amid these reports.
So far, reports have also stated productivity is rarely impacted by in-person work.
Whatever happens, we hope that GTA 6 ends up releasing in the best state possible without taking a toll on the developers. Currently scheduled for 2025, this game will be the biggest title of next year.
Rockstar Games also needs to work on a PC port later, so the studio needs to ensure it takes care of every developer at the company.
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[News Reporter]
Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.
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