GTA 6 devs fear “toxic crunch” as the game reaches its final stages of development

When I reported the news about GTA 6 reaching the final stages of development yesterday, I briefly touched on the topic of Rockstar’s crunch culture and noted how it could pose a threat to its devs. Turns out, I wasn’t the only one fearing that because a couple of GTA 6 devs who spoke through their union have also voiced similar concerns.

TheGamer, who seems to have spoken to a couple of Rockstar workers through their union, have now reported a story highlighting GTA 6 devs’ concern about the return of toxic culture at Rockstar Games studio. These workers essentially spoke as a response to Rockstar asking them to return to the office full-time, putting an end to remote working.

GTA 6 devs fearing toxic culture speaks volumes about the industry

This is not okay

They fear Rockstar’s “reckless decision making,” that too without any staff consultation could signal the return of toxic crunch practices following their return to office.

“Working from home has been a lifeline for many of us at Rockstar, allowing us to balance care responsibilities, manage disabilities, and relocate as we need. Now, Rockstar is snatching away that lifeline.”

Anonymous Rockstar developer

“Just one of my concerns is being forced to work late hours in the office to maintain contact with global teams when before we could log on from home to attend late meetings,” says one anonymous Rockstar dev working on GTA 6, speaking through their union. “This will mean missing out on spending time with our families.”

Another developer, who also spoke anonymously through the union, agreed and said, “Working from home has been a lifeline for many of us at Rockstar, allowing us to balance care responsibilities, manage disabilities, and relocate as we need. Now, Rockstar is snatching away that lifeline.”

They continued by saying, “After so many broken promises we now fear management may even be paving the way for a return to toxic ‘crunch’ practices. Senior leadership need to rethink their reckless decision making and engage with their staff to find an arrangement that works for everyone.”

No word on this from Rockstar Games

Rockstar has yet to respond at the time of writing this news piece, and I highly doubt it will. Truthfully, I’d rather not hear a PR-trained executive or a spokesperson speak on this matter and would like to see them improving their workspace culture instead. I hope Rockstar doesn’t go back on its word of improving the toxic crunch practices just to get the game out on time.