According to a new report, developer Naughty Dog has employees at their studio working on their upcoming game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, an extra eight hours per week, aiming to complete an internal demo by a deadline so that Sony can review it. This news comes according to a report by Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, which claimed that in late October, developers on Intergalactic have been required to work these extra eight hours, with staff not allowed to go over a full 60 hours a week total, and keep a record of this in internal spreadsheets.
Developers affected by this have also been asked to work from the Naughty Dog offices five days a week, which is a change from the previous requirement of only three days a week with up to two days work from home. This has, according to the report, caused a scramble among employees to find both child and pet care arrangements to accommodate the shift, something that was not required prior.
The mandatory overtime itself is being done to finish an internal demo in time for a Sony review, having failed to meet multiple deadlines for this demo prior to this. Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, with the most recent reports claiming that it will not see release until at least 2027, though this, too, might be an optimistic timeline. The report concluded that, thankfully, this week marked the last of these mandatory overtime efforts, returning to a three day in office work week with a more detailed schedule to come later. It is unclear if this internal demo is finished at this time.
This isn’t the first time Naughty Dog has been the subject of scrutiny over their crunch time polices. The company has employed similar polices during the development of Uncharted 4, as well as The Last of Us Part II, the latter of which drew particular ire to the studio. In 2021, the studio hired several producers who were specifically tasked with lessening workload across the studio, with many having departed the company since. Reports have also suggested that the first trailer forIntergalactic: The Hertic Prophet, showcased at the 2024 VGAs, also saw employees working long hours to finish it.
As Neil Druckmann has described Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, this will be the most “ambitious,” “expansive,” and “expensive” game Naughty Dog has ever crafted, which is saying something given the scope of The Last of Us Part II. He also said, “What can I say and not say? I can tell you we’re in the thick of it. We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders,” something that already feels like it has aged poorly.
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