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'Grand Theft Auto' Maker Rockstar Games Asks Workers To Return To Office Five Days a Week (bloomberg.com) 104

Posted by msmash from the up-next dept.
Rockstar Games, a division of Take-Two Interactive Software, will ask employees to return to the office five days a week beginning in April as the video-game maker enters the final stages of development on its next game, the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto VI. Bloomberg: In an email to staff on Wednesday reviewed by Bloomberg, Rockstar Head of Publishing Jenn Kolbe said the decision was made for productivity and security reasons. The company has faced several security breaches including a massive dump of early footage from the new Grand Theft Auto and an early trailer that leaked in December. Kolbe wrote that the company also found "tangible benefits" from in-person work. "Making these changes now puts us in the best position to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it requires, along with a publishing roadmap that matches the scale and ambition of the game," she wrote.
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'Grand Theft Auto' Maker Rockstar Games Asks Workers To Return To Office Five Days a Week More

'Grand Theft Auto' Maker Rockstar Games Asks Workers To Return To Office Five Days a Week

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  • Only 5 Days? (Score:4, Funny)

    by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:14PM (#64279652) Homepage Journal

    Why, that's only half-time at EA.

  • Quite right (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Viol8 ( 599362 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:18PM (#64279676) Homepage

    You cant get people to sleep under desks, get stress related disorders and generally burn out if they're working from home. These kids need to know just where in the food chain they are!

    Seriously, I'm glad I never ended up doing games dev. The horror stories I've heard put me off for life though I'm way beyond the unofficial max hiring age for a games company now anyway.

    • So true, as a teen playing Quake, Counter Strike and GTA 1 and 2, I always wanted to work in gaming. Then I found out because everyone else felt the same way, gaming not only had its pick of the litter -- but it could burn out cohorts of these picks every few years and fully replace them with a new fresh cohort, and repeat. Since resources are always available, the Machiavellian thing to do is get them in, extract as much value as possible from them, ship product for $$, then abandon those burnt out. Le

      • Re: Quite right (Score:5, Informative)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 ) <[ten.frow] [ta] [todhsals]> on Thursday February 29, 2024 @07:10PM (#64280312)

        So true, as a teen playing Quake, Counter Strike and GTA 1 and 2, I always wanted to work in gaming. Then I found out because everyone else felt the same way, gaming not only had its pick of the litter -- but it could burn out cohorts of these picks every few years and fully replace them with a new fresh cohort, and repeat. Since resources are always available, the Machiavellian thing to do is get them in, extract as much value as possible from them, ship product for $$, then abandon those burnt out. Let's not forget many of these peoples jobs is to make games as addictive as possible and keep players coming back (especially in app purchase games). Apparently, having a conscience is expensive and gaming wants nothing to do with it. They're able,because of the goodwill and nostalgia for their brands, to squeeze employees and customers alike.

        Yes, we ended hiring some ex-EA folks (EA was a few blocks away from us)

        His biggest reason for getting out was basically being unable to deal with the fact that you had people in their 20s on their second or third heart attacks. Basically ruthless and the only reason people don't die is because they're young. But it's always been a case of you can quit, and your seat will still be warm when your replacement is hired.

        Of course, also remember that RTO mandates are a form of stealth layoff. Which means instead of having to lay off X % of their work force, they can do it via an RTO mandate. This way you don't have to declare to shareholders you're in trouble (which layoffs usually do) or other things. And often employees will be too stipid and quit on their own, saving severance payments.

    • Re: (Score:1, Troll)

      by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 )
      Bunch of ignorant game dev bros who won't/don't read/understand working week research. The probably sincerely believe that 2 women can have a baby in 4 1/2 months... if they know what women are.

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You cant get people to sleep under desks, get stress related disorders and generally burn out if they're working from home. These kids need to know just where in the food chain they are!

      Seriously, I'm glad I never ended up doing games dev. The horror stories I've heard put me off for life though I'm way beyond the unofficial max hiring age for a games company now anyway.

      We used to have a renowned game tester here on Slashdot but unfortunately, he passed away a few months ago, such a sad story. We should definetely publish a dedicated Slashdot article to commemorate him.

    • Re:Quite right (Score:4, Interesting)

      by JamesTRexx ( 675890 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @06:06PM (#64280110) Journal

      I'm working on my own overhaul of OpenTTD, and any time I begin working on it, it seems I can't stop because I'm curious and want to see new/refactored features work as soon as possible. Thus long days and nights are the norm.

      That being said, I wouldn't be able to do that at some office. Being in another place makes the work feel mandatory and drains the fun because I can't take a break whenever and do something else around the house. Especially while witing for yet another recompile of the whole thing and the long linking time it takes on my old dual core laptop.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by batkiwi ( 137781 )

        you're choosing to do this as a hobby, as opposed to being reliant on it to pay your bills and live.

        There's a large difference.

    • Most of IT sounds like a horrowshow to be fair, I wonder where the jobs with reasonable hours are because a six figure salary is no use if you're a burnt out shell in your thirties!

      • Most of the good jobs are in companies that are not tech companies. For instance I work on computer models for making manufacturing medicine. I am paid well and I work normal working hours. I am not pushed to work more and there is a large interest in making sure the work done is correct.

        There are many such jobs at various companies. However, you do need to have good math skills.

      • I have a reasonable job working as a project manager. 40 hrs/week, normal hours, from home. $130k/year.

        Wife has a similar job. Also from home. She makes $160K/year.

        We live in a low cost of living midsized city on the east coast, 5 mins from downtown, in a house we paid $135K for (current estimated value is around $200K).

    • These kids need to know what a proper Rock Star actually is.

      Sure, you've got your Mick Jaggers, and even Taylor Swifts, with their go-here-do-this-go-there-do-that lifestyles, and their free spirited creativity, but they're not REAL rock stars - nope, the real rock stars have to work in an beige office 5 days a week, and if they're really lucky, we'll make them wear a shirt and tie too - that's really rockin' and stickin' it to the man.

      They should rename their company to "Conformity and Compliance Games". O

  • They can still work remotely the other two days (Score:5, Insightful)

    by GuB-42 ( 2483988 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:18PM (#64279678)

    Considering the reputation of the company, remote work is still allowed:
    - On week-ends
    - During the night (though staying overnight at the office is still encouraged)
    - On sick days (only for contagious diseases)

    • Re: They can still work remotely the other two day (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Viol8 ( 599362 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:31PM (#64279732) Homepage

      Before covid and home working became a thing I once got a verbal warning from my dick of a manager for working from home for a day when there was a transport strike. Not sure if he expected me to walk the 8 miles to the office or pay a fortune to sit in a taxi for 2 hours stuck in traffic, but the upshot was next time there was a strike I just took a sickie. This was an investment bank btw. Full of sociopathic arseholes suffering from a bad case of Dunning Kruger syndrome.

  • new GTA mission (Score:4, Funny)

    by packrat0x ( 798359 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:23PM (#64279700)

    Your character must show up to work, on-time, in an office, for five straight days.

    Must do sub quests during work hours. Then leave, after quitting time.

  • And this ladies and gentlemen (Score:3, Insightful)

    by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:35PM (#64279742)
    is why you've got so many tech layoffs. They're yanking the chain. Reminding you who's really in charge.

    And if you're reading this, it's not you.
  • Seems like that would chase off anyone able to go elsewhere. Going back to a daily drive is a non-starter for a lot of people.

  • Can We Call a Spade a Spade? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by machineghost ( 622031 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @04:47PM (#64279810)

    Can we please stop calling this sort of thing a "return to office" mandate? It's not, so let's call it what it is: a layoff.

    We've repeatedly seen numerous massive tech companies use the same playbook. They don't want the bad press of a layoff, so they institute these pointless mandates not to increase productivity, but to (quietly) lower headcount.

    • You are wrong, its not a lay off because lay-offs have costs associated with it. People who quit on their own dont get a severance package. As for if its right or wrong doesnt matter, if the organization paying you request you work on their property, you have to comply or simply get fired with no severance.
      • This is what a lay off is. Iâ(TM)d rather pressure to have my payroll cut but you the illusion of choice. It is your choice but I know the choice you will make. Then I donâ(TM)t have to pay you too. Upper management arenâ(TM)t the fools in these strategies. It is usually middle management that is easily expendable. Upper management is actual leadership. Middle management are lemmings who couldnâ(TM)t figure out how to skip an easy stage to the top boss.

    • It's the most insane and stupid way to get rid of people.

      Because let's face it, who will quit, and who will grin and bear it? People who can easily move on because they have something to show and are targeted by headhunters because they do, because they have a rare and sought after skill set, these people will give you a well deserved finger and they're gone. What you retain are the dregs, the duds that can't just up and quit, the idiots that have to grin and bear it because they cannot just leave for green

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by Dan667 ( 564390 )
        Yes, I have been through this. First couple of rounds you see people that you don't want to leave at any cost leave and tell everyone they got a big pay raise at their new companies, etc. Then all of their work gets distributed to people who cannot do it very well let alone whatever they originally needed to do. Then the company does worse and they have more cost cutting, layoffs. And the best of the people that are left also leave. Now less and less folks can do anything effectively. It starts to sou

        • Re:Can We Call a Spade a Spade? (Score:5, Insightful)

          by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @07:23PM (#64280338)

          I've seen this time and time again. Some bullshit move like this is announced, 20% of the people quit. And as stated above, it's never the useless 20%. It's always those 20% that do 50% of the work. Now that work gets pushed onto people who can't do it and the next 20% quit because they don't want to do twice the workload for no extra pay. And then the company is left with the 60% of the staff that did like 6% of the work, who are now sinking the company.

          Fuck, at what semester is that mandatory lobotomy in that MBA course?

      • This assumes competent management that could make good selections during a layoff though. If your middle management is incompetent and doesn't have a good feel for who's performing and who isn't, this kind of forced attrition isn't much worse than middle management laying off the people who don't suck up to them enough.

        • Then I guess the place to start the firing at is the management duds.

          • Couldn't agree more, but then this necessitates competent upper management, and if they had been competent they probably wouldn't have gotten the middle management problem.

            From my experience working at a company that started out great and then went to shit over the course of about 10 years, the incompetence starts at the top and works its way down until the whole thing is just rotten all the way through. By the time it reaches the guys on the front lines it's too late to be saved.

    • Can we please stop calling this sort of thing a "return to office" mandate? It's not, so let's call it what it is: a layoff.

      We've repeatedly seen numerous massive tech companies use the same playbook. They don't want the bad press of a layoff, so they institute these pointless mandates not to increase productivity, but to (quietly) lower headcount.

      Not really. A layoff is only a layoff when targeted. Performing layoffs by doing something unpopular and seeing who quits would be absolutely fucking retarded to the level that even an MBA wouldn't consider it. Layoffs are never random, untargeted, and unmanaged. When companies want arbitrary headcount reduction they institute voluntary redundancies for the specific reason that they can control who goes. No one, even in management at Rockstar is dumb enough to engage in layoffs that are likely to see their

    • Which is completely legitimate.

      As modern reporting and conventional wisdom (and several /. regulars) seems to believe that companies should never fire anyone for any reason and only ever hire, I don't blame companies for trying to get creative to resolve as 'under the media radar' what is a COMPLETELY NORMAL, HEALTHY part of the business cycle.

  • "Tange with your eyes, not with your hands." (Score:4, Funny)

    by Pseudonymous Powers ( 4097097 ) on Thursday February 29, 2024 @05:29PM (#64279964)

    "the company also found 'tangible benefits' from in-person work."

    I'm betting that workers were not allowed to tange these benefits. If the past is any guide, they were tanged behind closed doors by C-level executives only.

  • Perhaps they would do well to move to a better location. Seattle, for example. Not that it's a better work environment than NYC. But we have much more experience with auto theft.

  • 1. You don't get to pick which five.
    2. When in doubt, see number 1.

  • Any project based work has a crunch time that tends to overwork and burnout people. Video game developers have the privilege to express their displeasure working excessive hours to meet a deadline. I will start caring once they start caring that the construction workers had twelve hour days to finish the work. Not to mention that the average game developer in the United States makes at least one hundred thousand dollars which is not a measly sum. People are also terrible at self reporting the amount of hour

  • It's a genuine question: have there been any successful games released that were produced from entirely remote teams during or after COVID? The answer to this would be useful to shape the discussion.

    All this "No WFH? I'm outta here!" ranting is fine, but as others point out there seems to be a surplus of talent out there that will fill your cube.

    • Some might say Starfield was "good" if you could get past the grind mechanics. The new Forza motorsports is nice if you can accept the new system for car upgrades and the many promises that didn't make it into the game. Kerbal 2 and Cities 2 basically released beta's and called it a retail product. I bought Diablo 4 but was immediately turned off that I couldn't chat with other players in the game because they removed that feature.

      I have to say there hasn't been any good games that have come out since the p

      • Baldur's Gate 3 came out last year and is quite good. Cyberpunk 2077 came out the first year of the pandemic (though I imagine most of the work was done pre-pandemic). Elden Ring came out in 2022. These are all decent, credible games.

  • I've been interviewing with them, my third interview is scheduled for two weeks from now and it's my final interview before an offer. It's for a remote position and I don't live any where near a rockstar office. I wonder if the recruiter is going to be reaching out soon to let me know of this change in course.

    • Recruiter lol. I hate to break it to you but unless you know someone inside or have a referral of any kind, the recruiter is not really going to help anyone but convince the public they are looking especially at a time they are laying off a chunk of their work force.
  • Lots of poor minded weak job performers in the comments today. Please do stay at home because we do not want your poor non team playing attitudes to bring down the rest of the office that wants to show up for work and do well with themselves.

  • Need to be in office 7 days a week. More on leap year.

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