Crunch reports
Credible reports of staff working long stretches of overtime to hit deadlines.
Crunch is common in games, but long stretches of overtime harm the people who make them, and players can choose what they support.
What it means
'Crunch' is a stretch of compulsory or expected overtime, often weeks or months of 60 to 100-hour weeks before a launch or an update. This badge means credible reporting, or the company's own statements, describe crunch at the company.
How we apply it
We add it for investigative reporting based on several current or former staff, a public statement by the company or its leaders, or an official finding. A single anonymous post doesn't count. The note gives the year and the source, and if the company has since changed how it works, the track record says so.
Companies in the guide with it
- Activision
Bloomberg reported in November 2023 that Modern Warfare 3 developers worked nights and weekends on a 16-month schedule; the studio head disputed this.
Developer and publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide - Electronic Arts
2005-2006: EA settled overtime class actions by artists ($15.6 million) and engineers ($14.9 million) amid reporting on long unpaid hours.
Developer and publisher · United States · 5 games in the guide - Epic Games
Polygon, April 2019: staff described routine 70-hour weeks on Fortnite; Epic said 100-hour weeks were rare.
Developer and publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide - id Software
Doom Eternal's executive producer said in January 2020 that the studio was 'crunching pretty hard most of last year'.
Developer · United States · 1 game in the guide - Rockstar Games
2018: Kotaku and The Verge reported long hours and pressure to work overtime on Red Dead Redemption 2; Rockstar disputed that overtime was mandatory.
Developer and publisher · United States · 1 game in the guide