According to Houser, his comments were specifically referring to himself and three others on the senior narrative team at Rockstar: Mike Unsworth, Rupert Humphries, and Lazlow Jones. Having worked over twelve years together, Houser says that this group has decided on a process that resulted in a three-week crunch for Red Dead Redemption 2, where the team worked up to 100-hour weeks to “check and finalize everything.”

Houser would go on to describe the attitude that Rockstar employs with regards to crunch company-wide:

The interview in which Houser originally made his “100-hour week” statement was misinterpreted, he says now. The new statement, which was provided to Kotaku, should then be considered the official company stance regarding crunch.

The initial comments made by Houser were met with disapproval in an industry increasingly aware of harsh working conditions for game developers. 80-100 hour work weeks are routinely reported on, as game studios rush to meet release dates or other deadlines. These crunch periods can often result in no increased pay due to most developers being salaried, but it is the health of developers that remains the core worrying issue at hand. Crunch can hurt developers both physically and mentally, never mind the impact on their lives outside of development.

And while Houser’s correction is somewhat of a relief, given that he says Rockstar does not apparently require crunch, there’s still worrying language in his new comments. “No one, senior or junior, is ever forced to work hard,” implies a viewpoint among Rockstar leadership that only developers who crunch are genuinely working hard. That kind of attitude fosters an environment where success, including promotions, can result in an expectation of crunch even if it’s not officially required. The effects would be the same as requiring crunch. Other companies, including Bungie, have recognized this harm and gone to great lengths to eradicate crunch – even when it’s optional.

Undeniable is the fact that Rockstar has continued to release consistently popular and well-received games. And so long as Rockstar keeps doing that, it’s unlikely that the greater gaming community will prove too unhappy no matter the company’s working conditions.

Red Dead Redemption 2 releases October 25 on PS4 and Xbox One.

Source: Kotaku