Naughty Dog has been notorious for its historical adherence to crunch culture, subjecting its employees to prolonged periods of overtime that often took a toll on their well-being. However, the studio recently made a commitment to end such practices.
In a recently released documentary focusing on the creation of its games, particularly The Last Of Us Part 2, Naughty Dog shed light on the demanding work conditions. Previous reports had highlighted instances where developers worked extended hours, sacrificing weekends and neglecting personal health due to the studio’s perfectionist standards.
Crunch culture is well-known for not fostering smoother production cycles and for causing burnout among developers, many of whom eventually exit the gaming industry.
The documentary, while discussing crunch through a somewhat filtered marketing lens, seems hesitant to explore the full extent of its damaging effects. At times, it frames crunch as a self-imposed chain, as co-director Anthony Newman mentions providing free dinners to encourage late stays.
The documentary reveals that Naughty Dog took steps to address the crunch during the early stages of The Last Of Us Part 2.
Director Neil Druckmann acknowledged that this project had a proper pre-production period, with the story and structure defined before production began. Despite increased organization and improved processes, Newman notes that this doesn’t completely eliminate crunch but allows for the creation of larger games.
Towards the end of the documentary, Druckmann states the studio’s goal to eliminate crunch, sharing that they started by internally defining what crunch meant and addressing issues identified in the post-mortem report of The Last Of Us Part 2.
Quality assurance lead Patrick Goss reveals that educating new hires about the studio’s stance against crunch culture is one measure being implemented. Additionally, the studio is removing the so-called “crunch dinners” and regularly sending out small questionnaires to developers to gauge their experiences.
Hybrid working and a more robust production department are also cited as contributing factors by some developers featured in the documentary.
It remains to be seen whether this new approach will prove effective, especially as Naughty Dog works on upcoming single-player projects. However, there is a positive note, with at least one developer asserting that The Last Of Us Part 1 remake was developed without resorting to crunch.
