Report: AAA Game Devs Outsource Crunch To Support Studios

The subject of crunch (extended periods of overtime) is a hot topic in the world of video games. Most recently, the crunch debate, if you could call it that, emerged again with Cyberpunk 2077. We’ve heard some developers saying that they will work towards reducing crunch too in recent months. But does that apply to the third party support studios that they hire?

Apparently not, according to a new report by YouTube channel People Make Games. The outlet interviewed 19 current and former employees from two outsourcing studios. One being our very own Lemon Sky Studios in Malaysia, and the other being Brandoville in Indonesia.

And the common consensus is that, unpaid overtime is very common. One former concept artist of Lemon Sky said that things can go from no overtime while working on TV animation to daily crunching for Warcraft III Reforged.

But unfortunately, this reality is unlikely to change for most outsourcing studios. One former Lemon Sky employee explains that in order for such studios to get a deal with a big-time AAA publisher, studios will need to offer to get the job done in a certain amount of time. That will then get squeezed further after negotiations, which means devs have to do more in less time. And if one studio doesn’t take the deal, another one will.

Google Shutting Down Stadia Games Development Studios

Less than two years into its existence, Google Stadia announced that it is not going to develop its own games and will be shutting down its own development studios in Montreal and Los Angles. In conjunction, Jade Raymond, an industry veteran whom Google reached out to lead the initiative, will also be leaving.

In light of the decision, Google says that Stadia will redirect and shift its focus as a game streaming hub for currently existing game developers. That said, Stadia Games and Entertainment (SG&E), the division’s in-house studio will be “moving on to other roles” and Google will, at the very least, take responsibility in helping them to find new positions.

It’s undeniable that Google’s decision to shutter its own development studio is clearly a dent in the search engine’s gaming ambition; it was heavily invested in the idea of producing its own games and making them available via its own cloud streaming service. Now, that’s all but gone out the window.

That said, SG&E had managed to both develop and publish a few games before Google shuttered the doors, with titles including Orcs Must Die! 3, Outcasters, and Submerged: Hidden Depths. Also, given the high and enormous expenses typically generated in the production of a AAA title, it is understandable why Google would want to take a step back from the development stage. But, as The Verge put it, this simply means that Stadia will now be just another platform option for games that are already available on other platforms.