Houser further explains that other employees are not forced to work so many hours a week:
“Much more importantly, we do not expect anyone to work like that. In the company, we have some people in senior positions who work that hard out of pure passion for their project […].”
The gaming community doesn’t think that’s cool
This is how gamers react: The community reacted mostly with incomprehension and dismay. Accordingly, many players were more than skeptical about Houser’s new relativizing statement. Hardly anyone believes him that the regular developers “were not forced to do anything.” User Kromhorn says:
“Oh, I am completely sure that they do not have official requirements that force employees to work longer than full-time. What they do not tell you is how much pressure is put on other employees to maintain the same ridiculous working hours. That and the implied threats of dismissal if one is not able to “contribute.”
On the /r/games subreddit, the reactions were also predominantly negative:
“To state it so openly as if it were some kind of voluntary award is absolutely disgusting and Houser should be ashamed,” said user LewdOnMain in his comment that received 3700 upvotes.
Bittersweet humor in response to Houser’s statement: In the subreddit of Red Dead Redemption, memes have even appeared mocking Houser’s new statement. Titled “A rare behind-the-scenes photo of Rockstar’s development of RDR 2,” the meme received almost 22000 upvotes on Reddit:
User McGuffin on Massively OP sarcastically wrote: “This game is so great, 3 people worked themselves to death during development! We stashed their bodies under their tables to motivate others!”
Developers from the gaming industry are horrified
This is how other developers react: Even among colleagues in the gaming industry, Houser’s statement has found little understanding. Many considered the comment about 100 hours to be “boastful” and “bragging,” which is completely inappropriate in such a situation.
“When [the developers] crunch, then the managers are not doing their job right,” said Adam Orth, the creator of the VR game Adrift. “They are the problem, not [the developers]. You can usually see these people miles ahead before you even enter the studio.”
The US Senior Community Manager of Final Fantasy XIV, Chenin, shares this opinion as well. She posted on her Twitter: “This is not admirable. This is a harmful procedure […] and should no longer be glorified. Create brilliant games without draining your creative minds and calling it an ‘achievement.'”
On the /r/games subreddit, the reactions were also predominantly negative:
“To state it so openly as if it were some kind of voluntary award is absolutely disgusting and Houser should be ashamed,” said user LewdOnMain in his comment that received 3700 upvotes.
Bittersweet humor in response to Houser’s statement: In the subreddit of Red Dead Redemption, memes have even appeared mocking Houser’s new statement. Titled “A rare behind-the-scenes photo of Rockstar’s development of RDR 2,” the meme received almost 22000 upvotes on Reddit:
User McGuffin on Massively OP sarcastically wrote: “This game is so great, 3 people worked themselves to death during development! We stashed their bodies under their tables to motivate others!”
Developers from the gaming industry are horrified
This is how other developers react: Even among colleagues in the gaming industry, Houser’s statement has found little understanding. Many considered the comment about 100 hours to be “boastful” and “bragging,” which is completely inappropriate in such a situation.
“When [the developers] crunch, then the managers are not doing their job right,” said Adam Orth, the creator of the VR game Adrift. “They are the problem, not [the developers]. You can usually see these people miles ahead before you even enter the studio.”
The US Senior Community Manager of Final Fantasy XIV, Chenin, shares this opinion as well. She posted on her Twitter: “This is not admirable. This is a harmful procedure […] and should no longer be glorified. Create brilliant games without draining your creative minds and calling it an ‘achievement.'”
Houser further explains that other employees are not forced to work so many hours a week:
“Much more importantly, we do not expect anyone to work like that. In the company, we have some people in senior positions who work that hard out of pure passion for their project […].”
The gaming community doesn’t think that’s cool
This is how gamers react: The community reacted mostly with incomprehension and dismay. Accordingly, many players were more than skeptical about Houser’s new relativizing statement. Hardly anyone believes him that the regular developers “were not forced to do anything.” User Kromhorn says:
“Oh, I am completely sure that they do not have official requirements that force employees to work longer than full-time. What they do not tell you is how much pressure is put on other employees to maintain the same ridiculous working hours. That and the implied threats of dismissal if one is not able to “contribute.”
On the /r/games subreddit, the reactions were also predominantly negative:
“To state it so openly as if it were some kind of voluntary award is absolutely disgusting and Houser should be ashamed,” said user LewdOnMain in his comment that received 3700 upvotes.
Bittersweet humor in response to Houser’s statement: In the subreddit of Red Dead Redemption, memes have even appeared mocking Houser’s new statement. Titled “A rare behind-the-scenes photo of Rockstar’s development of RDR 2,” the meme received almost 22000 upvotes on Reddit:
User McGuffin on Massively OP sarcastically wrote: “This game is so great, 3 people worked themselves to death during development! We stashed their bodies under their tables to motivate others!”
Developers from the gaming industry are horrified
This is how other developers react: Even among colleagues in the gaming industry, Houser’s statement has found little understanding. Many considered the comment about 100 hours to be “boastful” and “bragging,” which is completely inappropriate in such a situation.
“When [the developers] crunch, then the managers are not doing their job right,” said Adam Orth, the creator of the VR game Adrift. “They are the problem, not [the developers]. You can usually see these people miles ahead before you even enter the studio.”
The US Senior Community Manager of Final Fantasy XIV, Chenin, shares this opinion as well. She posted on her Twitter: “This is not admirable. This is a harmful procedure […] and should no longer be glorified. Create brilliant games without draining your creative minds and calling it an ‘achievement.'”
The co-founder of Rockstar Games, Dan Houser, stated in an interview that the developers of Red Dead Redemption 2 had to work 100 hours a week multiple times a year. After a strong backlash from the gaming community, Houser is now backtracking.
What happened? In an interview with Vulture.com, Dan Houser mentioned that he and other employees of Rockstar Games worked about 100 hours a week to finish Red Dead Redemption 2 on time.
It is a phenomenon known in the gaming industry as “crunching.” This refers to the time just before a game’s release when many employees have to put in massive overtime. It is a well-known problem in the gaming industry and is often criticized because it has previously led to the deaths of developers due to exhaustion.
At Rockstar, it is not the first time that crunching has occurred.
Houser makes a new statement: This statement from Houser did not sit well with the gaming community and other developers. After harsh criticism, the co-founder of Rockstar Games is now backtracking. With a new statement, he clarifies that he was only referring to the Senior Writer Team of Rockstar:
“We always do this, three weeks of intense work when we are finishing everything. Three weeks, not three years. […] We need this time to review and finalize everything.”
The US Senior Community Manager of Final Fantasy XIV, Chenin, shares this opinion as well. She posted on her Twitter: “This is not admirable. This is a harmful procedure […] and should no longer be glorified. Create brilliant games without draining your creative minds and calling it an ‘achievement.'”
On the /r/games subreddit, the reactions were also predominantly negative:
“To state it so openly as if it were some kind of voluntary award is absolutely disgusting and Houser should be ashamed,” said user LewdOnMain in his comment that received 3700 upvotes.
Bittersweet humor in response to Houser’s statement: In the subreddit of Red Dead Redemption, memes have even appeared mocking Houser’s new statement. Titled “A rare behind-the-scenes photo of Rockstar’s development of RDR 2,” the meme received almost 22000 upvotes on Reddit:
User McGuffin on Massively OP sarcastically wrote: “This game is so great, 3 people worked themselves to death during development! We stashed their bodies under their tables to motivate others!”
Developers from the gaming industry are horrified
This is how other developers react: Even among colleagues in the gaming industry, Houser’s statement has found little understanding. Many considered the comment about 100 hours to be “boastful” and “bragging,” which is completely inappropriate in such a situation.
“When [the developers] crunch, then the managers are not doing their job right,” said Adam Orth, the creator of the VR game Adrift. “They are the problem, not [the developers]. You can usually see these people miles ahead before you even enter the studio.”
The US Senior Community Manager of Final Fantasy XIV, Chenin, shares this opinion as well. She posted on her Twitter: “This is not admirable. This is a harmful procedure […] and should no longer be glorified. Create brilliant games without draining your creative minds and calling it an ‘achievement.'”
Houser further explains that other employees are not forced to work so many hours a week:
“Much more importantly, we do not expect anyone to work like that. In the company, we have some people in senior positions who work that hard out of pure passion for their project […].”
The gaming community doesn’t think that’s cool
This is how gamers react: The community reacted mostly with incomprehension and dismay. Accordingly, many players were more than skeptical about Houser’s new relativizing statement. Hardly anyone believes him that the regular developers “were not forced to do anything.” User Kromhorn says:
“Oh, I am completely sure that they do not have official requirements that force employees to work longer than full-time. What they do not tell you is how much pressure is put on other employees to maintain the same ridiculous working hours. That and the implied threats of dismissal if one is not able to “contribute.”
On the /r/games subreddit, the reactions were also predominantly negative:
“To state it so openly as if it were some kind of voluntary award is absolutely disgusting and Houser should be ashamed,” said user LewdOnMain in his comment that received 3700 upvotes.
Bittersweet humor in response to Houser’s statement: In the subreddit of Red Dead Redemption, memes have even appeared mocking Houser’s new statement. Titled “A rare behind-the-scenes photo of Rockstar’s development of RDR 2,” the meme received almost 22000 upvotes on Reddit:
User McGuffin on Massively OP sarcastically wrote: “This game is so great, 3 people worked themselves to death during development! We stashed their bodies under their tables to motivate others!”
Developers from the gaming industry are horrified
This is how other developers react: Even among colleagues in the gaming industry, Houser’s statement has found little understanding. Many considered the comment about 100 hours to be “boastful” and “bragging,” which is completely inappropriate in such a situation.
“When [the developers] crunch, then the managers are not doing their job right,” said Adam Orth, the creator of the VR game Adrift. “They are the problem, not [the developers]. You can usually see these people miles ahead before you even enter the studio.”
The US Senior Community Manager of Final Fantasy XIV, Chenin, shares this opinion as well. She posted on her Twitter: “This is not admirable. This is a harmful procedure […] and should no longer be glorified. Create brilliant games without draining your creative minds and calling it an ‘achievement.'”
