Naughty Dog Reportedly Mandates Employee Overtime
▼ Summary
– Naughty Dog mandated employees to work at least eight extra hours weekly, up to 60 hours, for seven weeks to finalize a game demo.
– This mandatory overtime period, which ended recently, was implemented to get the project back on track after missed deadlines.
– Developers were also required to increase office attendance from three to five days a week, disrupting personal care routines.
– Management reportedly stated the in-office requirement will revert to three days a week starting in January.
– Naughty Dog’s history of mandated overtime has been under scrutiny, with past leadership acknowledging personal hard work during crunch periods.
A recent report indicates that Naughty Dog, the acclaimed video game developer, has implemented a period of mandatory overtime for its staff. This policy was reportedly enacted to ensure the timely completion of a demo for an upcoming project, significantly increasing weekly work hours for a sustained period. The move has reignited discussions about workplace practices within the high-pressure game development industry, where extended “crunch” periods have long been a contentious issue.
According to the report, the directive required employees to work a minimum of eight additional hours each week, pushing some workweeks to a total of 60 hours. This mandatory overtime schedule is said to have been in effect for approximately seven weeks, concluding recently. In addition to the extended hours, developers were instructed to increase their in-office presence from three days to five days per week. This shift reportedly disrupted personal schedules, including childcare and pet care arrangements, though management has communicated that the three-day in-office policy will resume in January.
The overtime mandate was described as an effort to get the project back on schedule following several missed internal deadlines. Employees were allegedly required to log their extra hours in an internal tracking system. Both Naughty Dog and its parent company, Sony, have declined to comment on these specific allegations. This is not the first time the studio’s approach to intensive work periods has been examined. The topic of mandatory crunch at Naughty Dog has come under scrutiny several times in recent years.
In 2021, then co-president Evan Wells addressed questions about his personal history with demanding schedules. He acknowledged having worked very hard throughout his career, suggesting that such effort contributed to his professional advancement. While there has been a broader industry movement to critique and reduce pervasive crunch culture, reports of mandated overtime at prominent studios continue to surface. These incidents highlight the ongoing tension between ambitious production goals and sustainable, healthy work environments for development teams. The well-being of the creative talent behind major game releases remains a pivotal topic for both the industry and its audience.
(Source: Games Industry)
