The video game industry’s relationship with crunch culture has long been a troubling one, affecting countless developers across some of the most celebrated studios in the world. From Naughty Dog to CD Projekt RED, from BioWare to Bethesda, numerous companies have faced criticism for subjecting their employees to grueling working conditions that push the boundaries of what should be acceptable in any workplace. Among these studios, Rockstar Games—the creators behind the massively successful Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises—has consistently been at the center of controversy regarding employee treatment. Now, a former developer has come forward with a revealing testimony that sheds new light on just how severe these conditions were, and perhaps more disturbingly, that the extreme hours weren’t always about making the game better.

A Former Rockstar Employee Speaks Out About Studio Crunch Culture

In a candid interview with the YouTube channel Kiwi Talkz, Kris Roberts, who worked at Rockstar Games throughout the 2000s, opened up about the phenomenon that generated significant media attention around the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018. While the topic of crunch has gained serious attention in recent years, Roberts’ testimony reveals that this was a deeply ingrained problem long before it became a public relations issue for the company. The conditions were so severe that they ultimately became one of the primary reasons Roberts decided to leave his position at Rockstar in 2010, walking away from one of the most prestigious studios in the gaming industry.

Roberts joined Rockstar during the development of Midnight Club, a popular racing game series that helped establish the company’s reputation for high-quality, detailed game worlds. He admits that working extra hours was something he was always accustomed to during his time at the studio. “I did it because I thought it was important or because I wanted to be involved at that level, and it was my decision,” he confesses. This voluntary dedication to one’s craft is common in creative industries, where passion often drives professionals to go above and beyond. However, the situation took a dramatically different turn when Roberts transitioned to working on the original Red Dead Redemption, released in 2010 to critical acclaim and commercial success.

The Red Dead Redemption Case: Working Seven Days a Week

What began as reasonable working hours gradually transformed into an all-consuming schedule that left little room for personal life, family, or basic rest. According to Roberts, Rockstar progressively pushed employees to extend their working hours until they were essentially working seven days a week. “They expected us to be there from 9:30 AM to 6 PM. And for those who stayed beyond that, dinner was provided,” the former Rockstar employee explains. This practice of providing meals for employees who work late is common in the tech industry and has often been criticized as a way to normalize excessive working hours rather than a genuine employee benefit.

The escalation was gradual but relentless. “Over time, the fixed hours were extended to include half-days on Saturday, during which we were expected to be present. Then the mandatory hours were extended to cover the entire Saturday,” Roberts recounts. The gaming industry has historically operated on tight deadlines, with release dates often set years in advance and marketing campaigns requiring precise timing. However, the systematic expansion of required working hours that Roberts describes goes beyond the occasional crunch period that might accompany a game’s final development phase. This represented a fundamental shift in workplace expectations that would have profound effects on employees’ mental and physical health.

When “Optional” Became Mandatory

The situation continued to deteriorate as Rockstar encroached further on their employees’ personal time. Sunday attendance, initially described as “optional” by Roberts, was increasingly “encouraged” by management. The distinction between voluntary and mandatory quickly blurred. “By the end, we were working every day, all day,” Roberts reveals. The final six months of Red Dead Redemption’s production became what he describes as a “fog”—a period so exhausting that clear memories became difficult to retain. This phenomenon is well-documented in studies on sleep deprivation and chronic stress, which show that prolonged periods of overwork can significantly impair memory formation and cognitive function.

The effects of such sustained crunch extend far beyond simple fatigue. Research has consistently shown that extended working hours lead to decreased productivity, increased errors, and serious health consequences including cardiovascular problems, depression, and anxiety. “You end up in a state of amnesia where you probably have no precise memories of what was happening,” Roberts confesses, referencing the consequences that lack of sleep and rest can cause under such conditions. The irony is that studies have repeatedly demonstrated that workers become less productive after approximately 50 hours per week, meaning that the extreme schedules may have actually hindered rather than helped the game’s development.

Working Weekends to Impress Executives, Not to Improve the Game

Perhaps the most troubling revelation from Roberts’ testimony concerns the true motivation behind some of these mandatory weekend sessions. Rather than being driven by genuine development needs or critical bugs that needed fixing before important milestones, employees were sometimes required to work weekends simply to create an impression for visiting executives. Sam Houser and Leslie Benzies, two of Rockstar’s most prominent figures, would occasionally visit the studio facilities on weekends, and management wanted to ensure the office appeared fully staffed and productive.

“I remember two or three specific cases where, on a Friday afternoon, management would send an email saying: ‘To be clear to everyone, we need to be here this weekend.’ Then a second email would follow: ‘And by weekend, we don’t just mean Saturday,'” Roberts reveals. The casual dismissal of employees’ personal lives and prior commitments is evident in his frustration: “I made promises to my kids about what we were going to do this weekend, and then at 4:30 PM on Friday, I’m told I have to be there on Sunday, no matter what. This is unacceptable.”

Roberts emphasizes that these demands weren’t based on legitimate work requirements. “It wasn’t like: ‘Oh, if you have a certain number of tickets pending in Bugstar,’ or ‘If there are critical elements to fix before the next build,’ or ‘If you have a real professional reason to come work this weekend, then we want to see you there,'” he clarifies. “It was more like: ‘We need to give the impression that everyone is here all the time, because an executive is visiting.'” This revelation strikes at the heart of what makes crunch culture so damaging—when excessive hours aren’t even productive but merely performative, the human cost becomes even more difficult to justify.

The gaming industry has made some progress in addressing crunch culture in recent years, with increased media attention and employee advocacy leading to more transparency about working conditions. Some studios have publicly committed to reducing crunch, and the topic has become a significant factor in recruitment and retention discussions. However, as development continues on highly anticipated titles like GTA 6, questions remain about whether fundamental change has truly occurred at studios like Rockstar. Roberts’ decision to leave the company after completing Red Dead Redemption stands as a testament to the toll these practices take on talented developers, and his willingness to speak out years later helps ensure that the conversation about sustainable game development continues.