It looks like Rockstar has found a solution to the controversy that is surrounding their company at the moment. The drama started when word got out that people were working 100-hour workweeks within the company. It didn’t help that former employees jumped on the opportunity to share their negative experiences within the company as well. Although Rockstar’s solution seems painfully simple, it’s really effective. They simply lifted the social media ban and let their current employees speak out on the situation.
Since the ban was lifted multiple current Rockstar employees have spoken out stating that their experiences working for the company have so far been really positive. Some people state that they do overtime every now and then but are thanked for it every single time and the main reason that they had to do overtime is either because they want to finish something or because of an unfortunate situation. Other employees have stated that they do indeed work 50 hours a week from time to time but other times they might only work 40 hours in a single week.
Just to add a concrete example of what I’m talking about. During the dev. of RDR I sometimes worked 50 hours during the week. This was on and off for a few months. And by on and off I really do mean off. Some weeks I just worked a flat 40 and there was zero issues with this.
— Wesley Mackinder (@WesleyMackinder) October 18, 2018
I haven’t worked a 100 hour work week in my life. I’m thanked for any overtime I am asked to do, and it feels like in those circumstances it truly was an unfortunate situation.
— Spooky Scary SkëlëSams ? (@zoegsams) October 18, 2018
It definitely seems like things are not all that bad within the company. However, it’s good to remember that within a company as large as Rockstar there are many different departments. People working in one department might have totally different experiences than people working in another department. It’s good to remember that while the current employees might be telling the truth, the former employees might also be telling the truth.
I gave them the benefit of the doubt having left nearly ten years ago that they’ve maybe changed. Yet I’ve heard this from dozens of R* folks in recent years that it continues, and I’m not surprised. It was the most ruthlessly competitive and intense work environment imaginable. https://t.co/NzjwQPBZja
— Job J Stauffer (@jobjstauffer) October 17, 2018
It’s really hard to believe that so many former employees complain about the working hours at Rockstar if it wasn’t true. Even the wives of Rockstar employees have written an open letter addressing the company’s workweeks around the time that the first Red Dead Redemption came out. It also wouldn’t be that surprising that people are working mad overtime when a big release such as Red Dead Redemption is coming out.
It’s very unlikely that we will ever hear the full truth since the stories of current and former employees are so different from each other. It’s also very unlikely that Rockstar will straight up admit that their working hours are terrible. Hopefully, the controversy will motivate Rockstar to change things within their working culture if there are real issues to address but since most current employees seem to have a positive experience working there it might just be a thing of the past.
