Naughty Dog, a studio owned by Sony, has once again stirred controversy within the gaming industry by implementing an intense work period for its employees to complete a demo for the upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
This move has brought to the forefront one of the industry’s most contentious traditions, known as “crunch culture,” despite many companies scaling back its practice due to pressure from employees and media outlets.
Over a period of seven weeks, development teams at the Santa Monica-based studio intensified their efforts to prepare the demo for review by the parent company, Sony.
Employees were requested to return to the office five days a week, up from three, and to log their work hours internally, with an emphasis on not exceeding 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.
Naughty Dog has a long-standing reputation for crunch culture over the years, particularly following the successes 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 intense work period was imposed on the majority of the studio’s teams, marking the first such instance in years. Previously, it was limited to specific teams for the release of the game’s first trailer last December.
With the demo preparation complete, the studio has reverted to its usual schedule of three office days per week until the end of January, with a promise to provide a detailed schedule for 2026 after the year-end holiday break.
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 endured to achieve our divine destiny.”
This quote symbolically reflects the studio’s work culture and the nature of the pressure that accompanies the development of a massive game like Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
The game is expected to be released in mid-2027, according to sources familiar with the development timeline, leaving some questions about the potential for similar intense work periods in later stages of the project.
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