Behind the Scenes of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet’s Development
Sony-owned studio Naughty Dog has once again stirred controversy within the gaming industry by implementing an intensive work period for its employees to complete a demo for the upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
This move has brought back to the forefront one of the industry’s most contentious traditions, known as the “Crunch” culture, despite many companies stepping back from its practice due to pressure from employees and the media.
For seven weeks, teams at the Santa Monica-based studio ramped up their efforts to prepare the demo for review by the parent company, Sony.
Employees were asked to return to the office five days a week instead of three, and to log their working hours internally, with the stipulation that they should not exceed 60 hours per week.
Some employees faced personal and logistical challenges related to childcare and pet care as a result of this sudden change in work arrangements.
Notably, Naughty Dog has a long-standing reputation for its crunch culture over the years, particularly following the success of franchises like Uncharted and The Last of Us.
Despite previous attempts to alleviate the burden on development teams, the studio saw the departure of several project producers who were tasked with reducing pressure on employees. This time, the crunch was imposed on the majority of the studio’s teams, marking the first such instance in years, after it was previously limited to specific teams for the release of the game’s first trailer last December.
With the demo preparation complete, the studio has returned to its usual schedule of three days of office attendance per week until the end of January, with a promise to provide a detailed schedule for 2026 after the year-end holidays.
Notably, earlier this year, the studio distributed coins featuring the company logo on one side and a quote from the game’s trailer on the other:
“The suffering of generations must be borne to achieve our divine destiny.”
This symbolically reflects the studio’s work culture and the nature of the pressure accompanying the development of a massive game like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The anticipated release date for the game is mid-2027, according to sources familiar with the development timeline, leaving some questions about the potential for similar crunch periods in later stages of the project.
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