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Over the course of a week, night staff can work the same amount as those on days. Now months have turned into over a year and we're staring down the barrel of this not actually ending because there will always be more things coming out."įor night shifts, UK employment laws state a person can only work eight out of every 24 hours, but Rockstar employees sign agreements to waive this condition. "And the fear is those at the top have seen how profitable this is working at 150, 200 per cent and wonder why we should ever slow down. "It's not a naturally sustainable thing to do, to put in that amount of hours, to work this much, with no end in sight," one person said. Every working week was six days, with hours just under the 60 mark.
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In August this year, hours increased further. Breaks are unpaid and "often" worked through. Since October 2017, late finishes during the week and on two Saturdays each month have become mandatory. Staff at Lincoln have been in crunch mode on Red Dead Redemption 2 for over a year, multiple people I spoke to at the studio told me - long even by Rockstar standards. "The fear is those at the top have seen how profitable this is working at 150, 200 per cent." The studio is open 24 hours a day, with staff working around the clock in shifts, testing Rockstar's games over and over and over. Just up the A15 in Rockstar Lincoln, more than 300 people work in QA (quality assurance) and localisation. Headquartered in New York, Rockstar operates three big studios here in the UK as well as a separate London office. Rockstar is an enormous enterprise, staffed by thousands of people with many varying experiences. And as someone who people look to as an example - that's been difficult." I almost feel guilty, I can't give 100 per cent of my ability as mentally I'm just shot.
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It's just the amount of time we're there. Under normal circumstances it is work we can do to a very high standard, and we consider ourselves a very capable department. "Back when we worked normal hours I never felt anxiety going back into work," someone at Rockstar Lincoln told me. Rockstar did not respond to Eurogamer's requests for comment on this article. Simply put, some people feel they cannot go through this again. The extreme workload staff have faced over the course of this project in particular has taken a toll - on people's health, relationships and their ambitions of maintaining a career in the games industry. They are proud of their work and want Red Dead Redemption 2 to succeed, but desperate to see Rockstar's production processes changed. Over the past few weeks I've talked with people who wanted to share their stories, under condition of anonymity to protect their careers, to further that discussion. Some staff have been encouraged by Rockstar to speak publicly. I can't wait to play it.īut I also can't shake some of the stories I've been told by those behind the game - the people who put their lives on hold to get Red Dead Redemption 2 released this week, who poured their sweat and tears and so much of their time into perfecting the thing you're probably playing right now.Ī few of these Rockstar staff have already spoken up, spurred by the ongoing discussion around overtime and crunch culture at the company - and there's an excellent Kotaku report which crunches the numbers. It's been a long wait - a friend told me recently they'd placed their pre-order over two years ago. Red Dead Redemption 2 launched at midnight last night and, right now, millions of people around the world are playing.