Time and again, we hear about intense crunch periods in game development. But for Path of Exile, it should be different. Studio head Chris Wilson does not want to run his company that way.
What does Chris Wilson mean? Grinding Gear Games founder Chris Wilson provided insight into his company via Reddit. He explains that other studios have 14-hour days or more to cram updates and patches with content.
However, he does not want that. His company should be run differently. The work-life balance of his employees is very important to him. Of course, there are sometimes overtime hours before the launch of a new league, but these are the exception. He wants to avoid crunch in the development of the action RPG Path of Exile. “I do not want to run my studio that way,” he says.
Grinding Gear Games feels committed to being open
Why does Chris Wilson explain this? He writes that he feels players expect more from the team. Updates with more content, for example. But that would then bring crunch. That is why he felt obligated to give fans an insight into how Grinding Gear Games works.
What triggered this? The Synthesis update for the hack ‘n slash Path of Exile did not go over well with players. Chris Wilson admits it fell below the quality standards he actually wants to achieve. In the future, he wants the team to improve here – but not at the expense of the work-life balance.
What’s next? In addition to improvements to Synthesis, a new league is also planned with update 3.7.0 that should offer “repeatable fun”.
With update 4.0.0, a “mega expansion” will follow, for which the developers will take a lot of time. This should also reflect the way the team works. They prefer to take their time rather than work excessive overtime.
No Crunch at Path of Exile
How is it at other studios? Recently, a lot has been heard about intense crunch periods at developers. For example, the updates for Fortnite are created in a “constant crunch” and the working hours for Red Dead Redemption 2 were reportedly anything but pleasant. That is exactly what Chris Wilson wants to avoid.
How are the fans reacting? The openness with which Chris Wilson addresses this issue is well received in the community. Players want to support Grinding Gear Games and understand that this is simply a different way of working.
ThoughtA mentions on Reddit: “You should know that we support you. This attitude benefits not only the employees; it is helpful in improving the terrible crunch methods in the industry.”
