The release of Grand Theft Auto VI is expected in November of this year. Overtime in the gaming industry is common, and it's quite expected that for a project of this scale, Rockstar Games employees will have to work extra hours. It seems the first "signals" of crunch have recently started to emerge.
A review of Rockstar Games, found on Glassdoor, a platform where one can share opinions about a company/employer, went viral in the GTA VI anticipation community. The author of the review indicated Bengaluru (India) as the location.
GTAVI_Countdown highlighted some points from the review:
They expect [employees] to complete tasks in just 2-3 months that usually take 5-6 months. The work schedule has been intense since last month, requiring overtime. The last few weeks have seriously affected the mental state of the team members. Some of his colleagues had to work until 3 AM after their workday ended.
Kiwi Talkz, who has extensive connections in the gaming industry, received a question from a user asking if there was "crunch" in India.
The insider explained that there's a difference in perception. For locals, what some consider "crunch" is normal:
What you call "crunch" [overtime] is a normal workday in India, so 100% – yes, haha. India is not known for work-life balance, I've spent a lot of time there and I know how things are.
Read more on the topic:
- Enthusiast ports GTA III to Symbian 3 operating system - game runs on Nokia
- Fans continue to fix GTA IV - FusionFix 5.0.0 mod released with gameplay and lighting improvements
- Rockstar teamed up with fans from "GTA Series Videos" - a special mission was created for GTA Online
- Fan "Calculates" GTA VI's Third Trailer Release Date - From a GTA Online Screenshot
- GTA V Enhanced graphics on PC made even better - next-gen update for NaturalVision mod released