Rockstar's "100 Hour Work Week" Sparks Concern For Working Conditions

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an impressive-looking game, no doubt. Though now we learn the cost. The development team was met with 100-hour work weeks to get the game done on time.

According to Game Producer Dan Houser in an interview with Vulture, Red Dead Redemption 2 was one of the hardest projects Rockstar has ever faced. Houser cited 100 hour work weeks for the crunch period of production. While the claim was likely intended as a commendation for the drive and work ethic of his team, most people are seeing it as an example of the difficult and strenuous work conditions in the industry.

I'll save you some math. If you were to work 7 days a week, this would still be 14-hour shifts every day.

The idea of working 60, 80, or greater hours as a game developer is not uncommon. It's an issue that has come up every so often, usually when an ex-dev reveals their work conditions after a major project is published. With Telltale games recently being under fire for gross mismanagement leading to its abrupt closing.

As unfortunate as this news is, it's not too surprising, given the scope of Red Dead Redemption 2. The game is reported to be around 100GB in size, with a 65-hour long campaign, dynamic weather, and 500,000 lines of dialogue. It's an immensely large game. With the holiday season upon us, of course the dev team would be pressured to finish the game in time for the holidays.

I'd much rather have a game release later than have others wither away at work to get it done sooner.