Following an interview with several unnamed former members of the Team Bondi development team by IGN earlier this week, the International Game Developers Association has confirmed to Develop it is planning to investigate the allegations. The IGDA has called on current and former Team Bondi employees to share their stories with the organizations, be they positive or negative, in order to get a clearer picture of the policies at the Australian developer. More information is included after the jump.
Many of the allegations by the eleven former Team Bondi employees who have been interviewed by IGN target their concerns specifically at the studio founder: Brendan McNamara. Amongst others, the interviews indicate that 100-hour workweeks were not uncommon during ‘crunch time’, and that compensation for overwork would only be provided if the employee was still with the studio 3 months after having completed the project. The project, LA Noire, eventually took more than 7 years to develop.
IGDA Chairman Brian Robbins stated that “reports of 12-hour a day, lengthy crunch time, if true, are absolutely unacceptable and harmful to the individuals involved, the final product, and the industry as a whole.”
McNamara, who has not proved a full response to the allegations, has stated that he believes the policies of his organization were not unfair.
I think the overtime is fair, especially in crunch time situations, but not getting payed for the time you put in is unfair. This is the only problem IMO.
I think overtime is fair up to a point, it’s well known that overtime is standard practice during crunch periods in the industry, but multiple weeks of up to 80 – 110 hours (which are mentioned in the interview) are not… even in a crunch period. Also, as soon as 12-hour workdays become anything but a very rare exception, I think a studio is in serious trouble.