http://games.on.net/article/13193/Trouble_at_Gameloft_Auckland_Developer_Blows_Whistle_on_120-Hour_Weeks_Dangerous_Conditions More at the link.
It sounds pretty bad indeed- i guess that's just the way some 'managers' work- these psychopaths actually believe that they can treat those under them however they please, as long as it makes themselves look good. Hopefully they get their comeuppance, but the world's not really fair like that, sadly.
I emailed Gameloft about these allegations, let's not go overboard here with speculation until we hear back from them. Right now this is 100% based on rumor. Not that I particularly support Gameloft in any way in this, but there are two sides to every story.
Work them harder games need patches. Seriously though isn't every firm like this these days. I'm serious about patches though Gameloft need to address the games they already made before releasing new ones.
This might just be someone trying to expand on the whole Team Bondi thing. Not all companies do this, and gameloft may or may not have done this, but don't write off Gameloft because of a one sided allegation. Just sayin'
Game firms are always crazy at their work, like working from 9:00 am till 1:00 am is quite normal in my company. But I never do extra work for I've got a part time job to do.
This is basically par for the course for the gaming industry. We've been hearing the same story about game developer working conditions for years. This is one of many reasons why I made a decision before I went to college that I refuse to go into the gaming industry and will keep gaming as just a hobby.
as sour as it sounds but this is pretty "normal" for being in "the biz" projects become bigger and bigger but timeframe and budgets not.. combined with miss-management on a big scale which is more than common.. this results in massive overhours... packaged in whatever tinfoil reason management wants to package it in.. doesn't wonder me that situations at gameloft studios are the same as in other companies.. they don't work severla years on ona projects but their output of games in general is very high so the "crunsh" phases are alot tigher one of the reasons alot of people back off from such companies and become indie devs.
Same happens in publishing, accounting and many other industries. Unfortunately managers are often expected to do whatever it takes to get the job done, especially close to deadlines. Another sad truth is that big companies don't get big by being nice to their staff. We are a resourse, nothing more. I have a friend who works in a bank. Not even a manager. He ends up working 9-10 hour days every day.
There's a lot of pressure to release original HQ titles like MokéPon and Muper Sario Sisters by the end of the quarter, I'm sure.
Don't know why this is so big/bad though. Surely they get allot of money? I think it probably goes for the whole gaming industry not just Gameloft. I would not be surprised if EA overwork their employees. But i am sure these employees still have a fun time, I mean its not the worst job in the world. Making Games?
lol.. feel free to enter the sarlaac and see how well you will do.. your perception is actualy the same probably 99% of the newcomers have when they enter the shiny pink tinted world...now they are "making games".. the best job in the world you can do.. till they realize that this is actualy one of the toughest creative biz you can be in.. hit a wall and probably get churned out.. game dev ist in most parts cheap labour work, nothing more nothing less.. if you beleive the mayority of the people working on a big title get paid big time you are very mistaken.. if you want to make money, don't go into game developement thats for sure.. an programmer on the open market doing "boring" non game jobs easily earns a multitude of what the best companies pay in game dev.. and all i know do it to make games.. but sadly most don't do the games they would like todo.. thats one of the reasons of the huge indie rise.. pushed by platforms like iOS even further..
I don't understand: @Mr. Ugly, I've played game dev story and my employees always have the greatest of times while working for me. I'm pretty sure kairosoft wouldn't make a sim game if it wasn't simulating the real deal game company structure.
Just because people are entering a fun and creative industry or their dream job doesn't mean it's always going to be fun and stress free, nor does it excuse awful treatment of employees. The fact is, there is always some amount of 'crunch' time with creating a game. There are deadlines and schedules which are interdependent on each other and development picks up speed as it goes along. But excessive crunch time, time which effectively destroys lives such as the kind we see here, can be avoided with good project management methods and experienced producers who know exactly what they're doing. Bad project management is the bane of the games industry and not only affects developers, but also leads to shoddy games as well. There should be proper industry based unions in my opinion. Some of the horror stories, such as staff being forced to work non-stop without breaks for months, really aren't on.
Back in the early 90's, I used to work with a former Interplay employee. I vividly recall our first interaction. I was so excited to talk with him, but then he explained to me how he could not wait to get out of it. Overworked. Little pay. I also knew people who worked for Davidson (educational) and Blizzard and all of them had negative stories, though Davidson wasn't as bad as the others. I knew from that time, I never wanted to work in the game development industry. Since then, I have known several others in the industry, most of whom have had negative experiences. I have witnessed some sad stories firsthand. I do know one person who has had a very positive experience, though. Somehow, he has found the right places or found the right terms. He is now making iOS games.
