A former developer at Rockstar Games has shared details on the creation of Red Dead Redemption, claiming the title was made under extreme crunch. Once it had found success with its Grand Theft Auto video game series, publisher Rockstar acquired several third-party game studios from Scotland to San Diego, rebranding them with the Rockstar name. One of the studios that Rockstar Games acquired was Mad Doc Software in Massachusetts, at a time when the small studio was in financial trouble.
In 2008 when Rockstar bought and renamed Mad Doc Software as Rockstar New England, Rockstar Games co-founder and president Sam Houser stated that the acquisition would enhance the publisher's core technology and gaming experiences. In fact, Rockstar's headquarters likely gave Rockstar New England the opportunity to develop Bully 2 because the small studio was known for its advanced strides in technology. Developers on Rockstar New England's Bully 2 team saw the offer as a way to prove themselves as a profitable acquisition for Rockstar Games.
In an interview with Game Informer, several former Rockstar New England developers described a debilitating work schedule with an "endless" crunch for Red Dead Redemption. Despite nearly the entire studio working on Bully 2, developers eventually found themselves pulled off the team in 2010, in favor of fixing other problematic projects like Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3. With these new projects, developers state they had months-long crunch periods with some work days lasting up to 16 hours. One former employee said the following regarding the development of Red Dead Redemption:
“I know that it won game of the year, and that was great and satisfying, but the approach to development was just – it was ridiculous. It took no one’s life outside of work into account.”
Some former developers attributed this crunch to the change in workplace culture, saying that as time went on, they felt pressured to prove their dedication to Rockstar Games through long hours. In the same Game Informer article, it is brought up that Rockstar was working to address crunch problems in all of its studios.
Rockstar is a studio known for releasing some of the biggest and most well-received video game titles, but the company has previously drawn criticism for crunch. During the production of Red Dead Redemption 2, Houser revealed that some staff members were working up to 100 hours a week in the run-up to the game's release, a comment that garnered shock from both fans and the industry back in 2018.
Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are widely considered to be two of the best games ever made, but creating great games shouldn't come at a detriment to the employees. As the topic of crunch becomes more prevalent, more studios are being transparent with their office culture and the work-life balance of staff, even now delaying game releases to avoid crunch. It's hoped that a better work-life balance has been internally implemented at Rockstar for upcoming games like the heavily-rumored GTA 6.
Source: Game Informer