According to reports, overtime is expected at Star Citizen. Journalist Tom Henderson claims he has an internal email stating that mandatory overtime has been ordered before CitizenCon, which is scheduled for October 19 and 20. Days off over the weekend have been canceled for the next two weeks.
Where is the information coming from? Tom Henderson is a journalist known for having anonymous sources within gaming studios that provide him with internal information. These mainly involve information that disgruntled employees find objectionable and then pass on anonymously. They do this anonymously because they do not have permission to share such information, which often reflects poorly on the studio (via insider-gaming).
Why is overtime being ordered? Henderson states that the internal email, which was sent to employees on October 1, says: They need to work hard for the next 18 days to get patch 3.24.2 for Star Citizen ready and complete the demo for Squadron 42.
Therefore, mandatory overtime is ordered for everyone working on items that still need to be completed for CitizenCon. The next CitizenCon will take place from October 19 to 20.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will now be worked
This means specifically:
- On both Fridays, the concerned employees are supposed to be in the office – this is normally a home office day.
- On both Saturdays, October 5 and 12, everyone is expected to be in the office. The company will provide breakfast and lunch – employees will receive compensatory time off.
- Work will also take place on Sunday, October 6 and 13. However, it is okay for employees to stay home. CIG would prefer if they came to the office. Breakfast, lunch, and compensatory time off will also be provided on Sundays.
Are there any positive news? Employees in the UK were told they need to ensure they do not work for a full 11 hours within 24 hours. Apparently, this concerns workers’ rights.
In addition, in a second email, employees were explicitly thanked for their overtime – this will make a real difference.
On Monday, October 21, everyone is supposed to have a day off after the long CitizenCon weekend.
Is there an official confirmation for this? No, Henderson says CIG responded with ‘No comment’. But it looks very plausible.
According to Henderson, the email thanking employees and giving them the day off appeared 11 minutes after his inquiry to CIG. This implies that the day off is seen as a “We know you’re already upset and are spilling the beans to the press” appeasement.
There have been complaints in the past that Star Citizen does not treat its employees very well, especially regarding pay, employees have complained: Employee says: “€457 million” MMO Star Citizen pays so poorly that employees have to move back in with their parents
