Criticisms of severe crunch have been aimed at ZeniMax management
Staff who worked for Bethesda on post-apocalyptic multiplayer RPGFallout 76have come forward to share their stories from its development, and they don’t make for pleasant reading. Developers who spoke anonymously toKotakusaid they’d crunched in ten-hour shifts over six days a week prior to Fallout 76’s launch, with some saying they fantasised about being injured to avoid having to come into work the following day.
QA testers in particular seem to have suffered while working on Fallout 76, which follows a pattern of low pay and long hours seen at other studios in the industry. It’s whyQA contractorsworking onDragon Age: Dreadwolf for BioWare Edmonton andCall Of Duty testersat Raven Software have recently voted to form unions. Testers on Fallout 76 allege that ZeniMax management expected them to work overtime regularly, and to come in on weekends even when the outcome wouldn’t contribute anything to the project.
They pointed to Microsoft’s “hands-off” treatment of the studios it owns as the reason why. This doesn’t bode well for the $68.7 billion (£50 billion) buyout of embattled Activision Blizzard,announcedin January this year. However, MIcrosoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencerhas saidhe’s “evaluating all aspects” of the company’s relationship with Activision Blizzard to make “ongoing proactive adjustments”.
Fallout 76 is still puttering along four years later, but not on Bethesda’s launcher anymore because that’sbeen retired. You can find it onSteaminstead, or try getting it to work on Game Pass for PC.
