GTA 6 Devs Fear Crunch As Game Approaches Final Phase

Expert Verified By

Devs Worked 100-Hour Weeks For Red Dead 2!

Story Highlight
  • 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.

GTA 6 protagonists
GTA 6 Features Two Main Characters

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.

GTA 6 Ray Tracing
Lucia Is The First Female GTA Lead In Many Years

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.

Was our article helpful? 👨‍💻

Thank you! Please share your positive feedback. 🔋

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. 😔

Gear Up For Latest News

Get exclusive gaming & tech news before it drops. Sign up today!

Join Our Community

Still having issues? Join the Tech4Gamers Forum for expert help and community support!

Latest News

Join Our Community

104,000FansLike
32,122FollowersFollow

Trending

AMD: X3D Turbo Mode Increases Performance Of Ryzen 9000 CPUs By 35%

The latest AMD X3D turbo mode which will come in AGESA version 1.2.0.2 uplifts the performance of the X3D versions by 35%.

Silent Hill 2 Remake: SH2 Essentials Mod Increases Up To +31% Performance

The Silent Hill 2 Remake new mod SH2 essentials offers up to +31 increase in performance with sacrificing minimum visual quality.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard Lost Nearly 50% Players In Less Than 10 Days After Launch

Dragon Age: The Veilguard has lost over 40K players since its launch, which isn't common for a hyped RPG game.

PS5 Pro Pricing Didn’t Have A Negative Effect; Aimed For Hardcore Users, Says Sony President

Sony President Hiroki Totoki said that the PS5 Pro's pricing hasn't had a negative impact yet, and it is aimed at hardcore users.

PlayStation CEO Says Concord Failed Because ‘It Lacked Internal Evaluation’

PlayStation needs more user testing and internal evaluation to avoid producing titles like Concord that don't resonate with the audience.