Crunches are not uncommon in the video game industry just before the release of a game title. In an interview with an American media outlet, 15 former and current Blizzard employees provided insight into the developer situation surrounding Diablo 4.
On December 8, 2022, the American newspaper “The Washington Post” published an interview with current and former Blizzard employees who discussed the development difficulties with Diablo 4, a major game title whose release date was recently announced.
What was said? The release date of June 6, 2023, was already one that had been pushed back multiple times. And yet, according to the interviewees, crunch seems necessary to get the game finished on time.
Here is the trailer for the release date of Diablo 4:
How is crunch managed? Activision Blizzard does not mandate crunch, but there are perks intended as incentives.
These include a $25 DoorDash credit for those who work more than 10 hours a day or a stock bonus plan for employees who complete the game. Employees can receive stock worth $5,000 to $50,000 depending on their level of experience for achieving performance goals.
What is the reason for the crunch? The interviewees see the problem as poor management, which allegedly led to the crunch and the late release date. They also named several individuals whose working methods hampered the team.
Decisions were not followed through by them, and features were cut, rendering all prior work wasted. Some aspects of the game were pushed only to have the decision reversed and discarded. This, the team felt, burned them out over time.
An experienced game maker, known for bringing troubled games to completion, was brought in February 2020. However, the only thing the interviewees took from it was a weekly Zoom meeting, attended by hundreds, where he mixed development issues with topics like movies or celebrities. The team found this unhelpful.
One person explained: “People were frustrated because we all thought he would come in and fix the game. And when nothing happened, it led to this massive turnover.”
What else was to blame? Other factors that led experienced employees to leave the company, resulting in the loss of valuable knowledge, were, according to the interview statements:
- poor pay
- inadequate working conditions
- lack of work ethic
What does Blizzard say about it? A spokesperson for the company stated to the Washington Post the following regarding the development of Diablo 4:
“As you may know, the development of games in general and ‘Diablo IV’ in particular follows an iterative process, whereby the scope evolves over time. The production of the game is going very well. Overtime is voluntary and restricted to certain teams. We regularly survey the team about their professional well-being, and the latest results are as positive as they have been in years.”
(via The Washington Post).
At The Game Awards 2022, Blizzard showcased a new trailer for Diablo 4 and introduced the most important angel for the first time – Who is that?
