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Team Bondi continues to be in the hot seat today as newly shared internal e-mails from an unnamed pair of L.A. Noire staffers reveal some of the facts behind previously raised allegations of unfair working conditions and top-level mismanagement. The e-mails and supplied context place much of the blame square on the shoulders of Brendan McNamara, Bondi's founder and the game's writer/director.
"I've heard a lot about [publisher Rockstar Games'] disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi's next game," one source told gamesindustry.biz at the top of the five-page feature revealing these new facts.
"Team Bondi are trying to find another publisher for their next title, but the relationship with Rockstar has been badly damaged -- Brendan treats L.A. Noire like a success due to his vision but I think Rockstar are the ones who saved the project." The source goes on to suggest that without Rockstar's continued support, the studio "would have gone under several years ago."
The emails do not paint a pretty picture. In one example, "crunch"-level working hours -- 9am to 7pm weekdays, 10am to 5pm on Saturdays in this case -- were instated as far back as August 6, 2009. This comes from a company-wide memo sent by McNamara, a few months shy of two years before L.A. Noire's release. It's just the beginning too; other emails describe the increasing demands that were placed on Team Bondi employees and point to vague references of "bonus" compensation for extra time served.
The infodump amounts to a revealing peek into some of the harsher realities of modern-day video game development. The abundance of whistleblowers pointing specifically to McNamara and dysfunction at Team Bondi's top levels suggest that this is a somewhat unique case, but the stated goal is to get the facts out so this doesn't happen elsewhere.
"This is one of those things where it's about truth," one of the game's artists writes. "[Team Bondi got] blood out of a stone, and it seems like it could encourage other studios to treat staff like that. I think that's the wrong way to go about it. You can get a lot more out of your staff by having them more on board, and treating them with respect."
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mrx3009
It's really sad to hear that so many people suffered for seven years to get this game completed. This really makes me question whether it was a good decision to buy the game. We need talented, experienced and passionate people working in the industry to create the games that we love playing. I'm worried that if LA Noire sells well, it will just encourage studios to follow the same extreme work schedule that Team Bondi did, which will end up burning out developers and causing them to find work in other industries.
vixensshadow
Articles like this just have the tendency to make me really nervous on whether I want to go into the industry or not. I eman after a minute or so I'm back to normal, fairly happy that I have some kind of goal, a goal that I want to design/program more than just some short, simple flash game or whatever I would have time to do with a "normal" job. Nursing, teaching, something that isn't more of an art. Which my parents worry about, I think.
I feel like this is how many industries, in the United States at the very least, are going. Maybe I just don't get it as well as I should due to the fact I have no steady job (unless you want to count school...).
AngelsandDemons
I heard the game was pretty good so all that hard work paid off. I wish the same could be said for other games that turned out to be disappointments.
RookieBrawler
I think people need to do a little more research into this. I read an extensive article on LA Noire's development about a week ago, were not talking a work atmosphere that's unreasonable, we're talking "OPPRESSIVE".
Brendan McNarma created a work environment in which employees were intimidated, frightened to speak their mind. It was common place for him to persecute employees on a daily basis, he himself became uncomfortably paranoid. Workers began to ASSUME they needed to work overtime with no pay, which probably divided entire FAMILIES of employees. Brendand McNamara is accused of wasting TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars on developing proprietary tech that was likely scrapped or reworked.
Virtually anyone who spoke out against McNamara was let go or they just quit. There about 80 people who worked on LA Noire that aren't even credited in the game because they quit or got fired. Some of those being 5 YEAR VETERANS.
The creation of this game was a long, arduous, and SLOPPY process. McNamara sounds little more than a bully. I REFUSE to support any title that has management which EXTORTS its workers. At least to a laughable degree like this.
Go read that nice multi-page article on ign which delves deeper into the MESS that is LA Noire's development.
See if you don't puke in disgust.
Gamedude90
WTF? It seems as some people don't read the article. Too bad to hear that a Great Game had such a terrible development process.
cannedstingray
I really hope there is more than just working overtime that these guys are whining about. If they are all salary employees, I can understand a little more, but c'mon overtime is how companies get things done. I work an average of 60-80 hours a week, and the OT pay is what makes my checks worth while, granted I dont have much of a life outside of work. I work construction, but a project is a project no matter what industry you're in, and dedication and long days are how things get done.
Prax150
Wait, they're complaining because they had to work 2 extra hours on weekdays and Saturdays? Seriously?
macross2012
Honestly if you dont need your job just leave. I am a slave and I am chained to my desk to make a video game.. Give me a break.. Rockstar has a history of over working its people. Did you not know it was poison when you signed the contract? Everyone else knew...
BetMonty
I wish this really was unique, but I've been a game designer for over a decade now and I can tell you it's way more common than not. Whether it's a boss with no faith or vision or whether its a publisher who demands the impossible, developers are always caught in the middle of the fight and last in line to realize any of the project's success, should it buck the odds and actually ship. Vague promises of bonuses are what the games industry was built on and what 'we' use to capture the talent we can't really afford.
Yep, the industry is totally broken and we all know it. Doesn't stop us from diving right in to make those little dollups of joy we call games though, does it?
Displaying 1–9 of 9