Uncharted 3 Required "Brutal" Working Hours

[Greg Tito]

Uncharted 3 Required "Brutal" Working Hours

The team at Naughty Dog had to put in massive overtime to complete the game.

Every game developer usually goes through a period where a lot more work needs to be done to finish a game by a deadline than can fit in a 40-hour work week. Sometimes, that week balloons to 80 hours or more just to meet the ambitious milestones set by publishers and game producers. And when that game has as high a profile as Naughty Dog's Uncharted 3, not meeting deadlines and delaying the game past the holiday season was just not an option. According to senior members of the development team, the extended period of overtime or "crunch" as it's called in the business was the most punishing Naughty Dog had ever experienced.

"It was pretty brutal this time around," said Josh Scheer, the guy behind the cinematics in Uncharted 3. "I mean, there's always crunch. There're always people putting in extra hours, but this time around, just because of the scope and the ambition of the game - even after we had gone back and shortened some things, trimmed some other things - there was just still a lot to do, in the amount of time we had to do it."

The international success the Uncharted series enjoys, as well as the strong narrative, made completing the game that much more difficult. That's because Uncharted 3 features a story told in "more languages than we have ever done before, both spoken and text translation," said game director Justin Richmond.

Uncharted 3 is available in stores today in North America on the PS3.

Source: Develop [http://www.develop-online.net/news/39011/Uncharted-3-team-claims-brutal-crunch]

Permalink

 

[Robert Ewing]

It didn't say that they protested against the raised hours.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Maybe they should've delayed it, because the end result is a rather incoherent and wonky mess.

Also, am I the only one who noticed Elena's and Chloe's face looking not quite right?

 

[Smooth Operator]

It didn't say that they protested against the raised hours.

Because he's not allowed to say that unless he wants to be looking for a new job.

 

[Fooz]

It didn't say that they protested against the raised hours.

they probably didnt complain seeing as they most likely wanted the game to be perfect, after all the hard work put in etc

but also, i dont think this guy is allowed to say whether they did protest or not

 

[Craorach]

It didn't say that they protested against the raised hours.

No dev complains.

It's like many industries... the disgusting, immoral, work conditions continue because "it's always been this way".

There aren't many industries which would accept something like this.... where being forced to work insane hours for weeks, sometimes months, at a time is so normal that everyone just shrugs and does it. In many industries the unions would get involved and strike action would be called for.. hell, in some industries and countries the companies would be investigated for unfair working practices.

But not the video game industry, because those who control the money know they can take advantage of the saps within it who think that "doing something they love" means they should expect to be treated unfairly.

 

[Ruairi iliffe]

As someone enjoying his First 'Crunch' i can fully understand this, deadline gets closer, work plies up.. But it has to be done, their is very good reasons for deadlines as in the whole Company suffers not just the project.

 

[ComicsAreWeird]

I understand all too well this "Crunch" thing...
Hopefully their work will be recognized in fan admiration and cash.

 

[putowtin]

It didn't say that they protested against the raised hours.

I don't think anyone would, the staff are probably aware of all the other games companies that are currently folding/ laying off staff, their probably just happy to be working for a company that's staying afloat

 

[Saltyk]

Well, some of the things, like animations, in Uncharted 3 don't seem as polished as Uncharted 2, but I can say that I am certainly having fun with it. Give those men raises!

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Well, some of the things, like animations, in Uncharted 3 don't seem as polished as Uncharted 2, but I can say that I am certainly having fun with it. Give those men raises!

I felt that too. After how smooth flowing the animations were in UC2, I felt like the movement (especially in fistfights) from UC3 was far too jerky.

 

[ViciousTide]

They wont' be given any raises. They will be lucky to receive an % commission bonuses for the Game. They should have teamed together and gone on Strike for even an hour, for promises of 10% profit bonus commissions and 2 weeks extra vacation after the launch of the game. More Game developers need to stick it to parent companies that are only there for the Greed! Money comes and goes, but time only goes forward. Make sure it's worth the time! Your boss won't care if you lose the love of your wife or children, but they will care when you stick it to them for 10+% profit bonus commissions. That should get their attention and have themn plan things out for you all in the future.

 

[Ruwrak]

Maybe they should've delayed it, because the end result is a rather incoherent and wonky mess.

Also, am I the only one who noticed Elena's and Chloe's face looking not quite right?

Nope. But then again it's a game and nothing looks quite right

 

[AndyFromMonday]

This seems to always be a problem with game development. Instead of putting an arbitrary release date on games, which only serves to stifle creativity and development, publishers should just let developers do their thing.

 

[Craorach]

No, because its an artistic industry. Moviemakers regularly go through hellish conditions and hours to see their product done. Show me a movie where the actors didn't end the shoot exhausted and I'll show you a bad movie. Same with the theater, sculpting, music - virtually any creative medium wherein an artist has any sort of deadline will see them putting in extra hours - not because they're forced to, because they choose to for the sake of their art. The only people who don't put in the extra hours are the people who don't care.

And I'll remind you, Sony let two equally important titles get delayed from the exact same period (Twisted Metal and The Last Guardian). How does that factor into "The Publisher chained Naughty Dog to their desks and withheld food)

Being an artistic industry doesn't mean that it acceptable for people to do insanely long hours without real, tangible, compensation.

Sure.. they are passionate about their art, all artists are.. that's why many artists, except the truly insanely fortunate ones get treated like dirt. Because artists forget the basic transaction taking place when you work for someone else. Time = Money.

Now, those in these industries can tell me all they want that "its normal", "all artistic industries are like this" etc, etc, etc.. but I'm more bothered about those coming into the industry, all stary eyed, and being taught that this practice is acceptable by those who have been forced into it themselves. I'm more concerned by the long lasting, ongoing, health and psychological issues for the people involved.. and the relationship issues of course.

Those who become used to such employer abuses rarely speak out, because it is normal to them.. and artistic industries have a constant supply of new, desperate, talent willing to take the place of those who burn out.

 

[AbstractStream]

I appreciate your unpaid overtime. Wait, is it really unpaid? Otherwise, nevermind.
Eh either way, thanks to the development team anyway.