Home Tech Insider The game developer behind 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' is embroiled in an ongoing controversy — here's what's been going on

The game developer behind 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' is embroiled in an ongoing controversy — here's what's been going on

Red Dead Redemption 2

  • Rockstar Games came under fire earlier this week after cofounder Dan Houser claimed employees were working 100-hour weeks to finish the company's upcoming game, "Red Dead Redemption 2." 
  • While the game has received positive early buzz, Rockstar has been accused of taking part in "crunch culture," or pushing staff to work overtime. 
  • Overworking staff is an ongoing problem for video game studios, and the tech industry at large.
  • Houser has since said Rockstar doesn't force anyone to work extra-long hours. 
  • Now, Rockstar employees have taken to social media to express their feelings about the studio’s work environment.

The most anticipated video game of 2018, "Red Dead Redemption 2," will be released next week, marking the culmination of seven years of work from developer Rockstar Games.

And while the game has received positive early buzz, Rockstar itself has faced controversy in recent days. 

In an interview with New York Magazine's Vulture last week, Rockstar's cofounder Dan Houser praised staff members for working multiple 100-hour weeks to finish the game, invoking a fierce backlash from fellow game developers, who accused the company of abusing its employees.

"Red Dead Redemption 2" is expected to be one of the most expansive video games of all-time, with a main campaign that could last more than 60 hours and a script surpassing 2,000 pages. With seven years to work on the game and a huge budget funded by the success of "Grand Theft Auto," critics have questioned why the studio still has workers putting in so much overtime.

In an effort to quell the most recent criticism of the studio, Houser released a follow-up statement to attempt to clarify. Houser told Kotaku he was only referring to the senior writing team of "Red Dead Redemption 2," which consists of four people, including himself.

While "Red Dead Redemption 2" has been in production for seven years, Houser said the team spent three intensive weeks trying to finish the process. He said that other members of the game’s development team also chose to commit extra time, but that no one was forced to work long hours.

Part of Houser's statement to Kotaku reads, "Across the whole company, we have some senior people who work very hard purely because they're passionate about a project, or their particular work, and we believe that passion shows in the games we release. But that additional effort is a choice, and we don't ask or expect anyone to work anything like this."

The culture of 'crunch'

Overworking staff, sometimes called "crunch culture," is an ongoing problem for video game studios and the tech industry at large. Rockstar is best known for the massively successful "Grand Theft Auto" series, and the company has come under fire for similar tactics in the past.

In 2010, just months after the release of the original "Red Dead Redemption," a group of Rockstar employees' spouses published an open letter calling attention to abusive work practices at Rockstar San Diego. The group accused management of withholding bonuses and pushing employees to the brink.

Workers throughout the video game industry have been vocal about crunch culture and predatory studio practices in recent weeks. Developers have shared horror stories about studios taking advantage of their personal passion for an upcoming game to justify reckless work schedules:

The issue goes beyond video games — the tech industry as a whole has long been critiqued for pushing employees to the brink. Tech firms like Apple, Lyft, and Uber have all at some point espoused the virtues of being a workaholic, and founders like Tesla CEO Elon Musk have been lauded for sleeping at work overnight.

'I haven't worked a 100 hour work week in my life'

Now, in an effort to change the narrative about Rockstar's work environment, the company is letting employees discuss their jobs on social media. Rockstar has told employees to be honest without fear of repercussions. 

So far, those who have made public statements have defended Rockstar's overall work environment, while acknowledging that overtime isn't unusual:

Rockstar has also provided The Guardian with self-reported statistics from company employees.

Based on employees’ self-reported hours across all studios from January 8th to the end of September 2018, the average working week was between 42.4 and 45.8 hours. During the studio's busiest week, employees averaged 50.1 hours and 20% of employees reported working 60 hours or more. 

SEE ALSO: I played 2018's most anticipated game, 'Red Dead Redemption 2' — here are the 12 most interesting things I learned

READ MORE: Fans who paid for the final season of 'The Walking Dead' video game are upset that the studio may shutdown without an ending

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The game developer behind 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' is embroiled in an ongoing controversy — here's what's been going on The game developer behind 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' is embroiled in an ongoing controversy — here's what's been going on Reviewed by mimisabreena on Friday, October 19, 2018 Rating: 5

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