
'Grand Theft Auto' Maker Rockstar Games Asks Workers To Return To Office Five Days a Week (bloomberg.com) 104
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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Actually, yes, it does.
If you need to be supervised to work, you suck at working in the first place and should be eliminated.
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If you need to be supervised to work, you suck at working in the first place and should be eliminated.
Right. Because every company has a long queue of perfect self-managing employees waiting to be hired. Sure, whatever.
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I could be persuaded, but we might have to work on the details.
Only 5 Days? (Score:4, Funny)
Why, that's only half-time at EA.
we let you work late and weekends from home unlike (Score:3, Insightful)
we let you work late and weekends from home unlike ea!
Quite right (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
Re: Quite right (Score:2)
Re: Quite right (Score:5, Informative)
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.
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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)
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.
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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.
Re: Quite right (Score:2)
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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.
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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).
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You're doing it right.
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Other than dying of cancer anyway.
My wife will be "available" in 12-18 months. Good for her I guess.
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Thanks.
Re: Quite right (Score:2)
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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)
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)
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.
Re: Imagine actually having to go to work each wor (Score:4)
Even the youngest millenials are getting to the upper age limit of most games companies slave hiring age. Itll be mostly gen z suffering there now.
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Companies are still in the FA part of this whole thing. The FO part is coming. Personally, I love WFH but we're already seeing some negative impact at my company. The company still needs to lease building space, although they can scale back their footprint considerably. Conversely, they now have to open and operate 500 remote offices. At the moment, people are happy to use their home for that purpose but some employees are already starting to demand pro-rated compensation for things like rent, internet, el
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None of those things are problems with WFH, they're problems with people, and your specific business.
There's no reason you need to maintain all those offices except for the expectation that you do, by whoever made the decision. Many companies are now 100% remote and doing just fine. Better, even. Perhaps it's the type of employee or the type of company you've got, and the employees are lower quintile for computer savvy?
Prorated compensation conditions should be clearly outlined in their employment contracts
Re:Imagine actually having to go to work each work (Score:4, Interesting)
Then employers can deduct that as operational costs on their taxes - no differently than they can when they have an office.
And of course, then the employee can't deduct the same from their own taxes.
I fail to see how this is problematic.
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but some employees are already starting to demand pro-rated compensation for things like rent, internet, electricity, etc.
That's amazing. The option to work from home is a perk, not a burden. It should be a simple matter to say "the company will cover those costs for its own office, and you are free to work there." Employees who want to work from home should have no problem paying for those things themselves.
I understand that in some places employers are required to compensate employees for travel expen
Re: Imagine actually having to go to work each wor (Score:2)
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some employees are already starting to demand pro-rated compensation for things like rent, internet, electricity, etc.
Did those employees also demanded pro-rated compensation for things like their auto insurance, maintenance and gas when they have to go to office? If not, then why entertain these demands at all?
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As a GenX'er ... I can firmly say "OK Booker".
As others will say ... millennials are in their 30's and 40's now, so maybe find another reason to hate on folks and to get upset because they don't want to put up with the same bullshit we were brainwashed to believe was the way.
Re:Imagine actually having to go to work each work (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm gonna be 50 next year, want to call me a millennial?
I don't give a fuck about a "office mandate". Shove it up your ass. My way or the highway, managers are a dime a dozen, twice so at C-Levels. You can be replaced by a magic-8-ball without a loss of quality. Security engineers are in short supply.
Supply and demand, baby!
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Yes, but you have probably 30 years of experience. Most these people do not. Your Gen Zer has less then 10. Probably less then 5. Huge difference there.
The type of people working game dev are going to be wet behind the ears and will tolerate all sorts of crap that you wouldn't dream of putting up with.
So basically, comparing apples to oranges here.
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I cannot speak for the game industry, and yes, I'd assume that it sounds awesome to make cool games... but I do know a thing or two about the security industry. Just as glamorous. You get to be a hacker, after all!
Have you recently tried hiring someone with a security background? I'm not even talking about "professional experience". Gimme someone with a halfway decently filled github account that shows me they try stuff, show me some HTB or THM results, maybe if you were so inclined to do their "academy", s
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Millennials really do complain about anything
Throughout history bosses have always complained that their minions do not work hard enough, or enough hours, and are too whiny about work conditions.
When Boomers (or hippies) were entering the workforce, their bosses complained about their slacking, their long hair, their lack of dedication to the job...
When Gen Xers were entering the workforce, their bosses (now the boomers) complained that they were too distracted by video games and TV to work effectively...
Now Gen Xers are transitioning to be the bo
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Re: Imagine actually having to go to work each wor (Score:1)
Imagine having to wear a tie to work everyday! (Score:2)
I am old enough to remember that a "white collar" job actually meant have to wear a white shirt and tie with a suit on top of it. Many old geezers justified it with reasons like "showing respect for your job/customers/boss", and "dressing right for the situation", etc.
Until dotcom boom came, and none of these new dotcom companies require wearing suits. Then boom! everybody allows casual wear at work or else they can no longer find any IT people willing to work there. And now, "suits" became the term to r
new GTA mission (Score:4, Funny)
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.
Re:new GTA mission (Score:5, Funny)
Can I pull out a .45 and snuff out some managers?
That would be a GTA version I would finally buy. Finally a mission I can relate to.
Re:new GTA mission (Score:5, Funny)
Can I pull out a .45 and snuff out some managers?
Good news: Absolutely!
Bad news: Given the newly vacant positions, you are promoted to management.
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I'd rather quit than accept that humiliating demotion.
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> Given the newly vacant positions, you are promoted to management.
Better invest in kevlar+helmet now
And this ladies and gentlemen (Score:3, Insightful)
And if you're reading this, it's not you.
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Yes, it's me.
Fire me. I dare you.
Best and brightest (Score:1)
Can We Call a Spade a Spade? (Score:5, Insightful)
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.
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Re: Can We Call a Spade a Spade? (Score:1)
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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
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Re:Can We Call a Spade a Spade? (Score:5, Insightful)
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?
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I believe the lobotomy is an admission requirement.
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Then I guess the place to start the firing at is the management duds.
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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.
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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
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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.
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I get paid to get shit done. Not to keep a chair in the office from flying off into orbit. You can get that far, far cheaper than from me, get a manager to do it, they're mostly useless for anything else anyway.
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Welcome to the new normal. Get used to it or get used to not having any talented people anymore because talent is hard to come by these days.
Yes, it is my way or the highway. But this time for you, not me.
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upsides should trump down (Score:1)
Company saves huge amounts on office space and, in their own self-interest, more alert employees to start the day as they get to skip morning dress routines and commute times. As any worker or manager knows, workers can find ways to slack off at an office while in a cube next to their manager.
So managers end up judging workers the same way whether in office or WFH: output.
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You can fuck off now.
"Tange with your eyes, not with your hands." (Score:4, Funny)
"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.
New York City (Score:2)
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.
But they can stay home 2 days a week! (Score:2)
Developers need to experience the city and auto theft so they can bring their real world experience into their video games!
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If your looking for auto theft, SoCal is your destination.
FIVE Count em FIVE-the addendum to the memo (Score:2)
1. You don't get to pick which five.
2. When in doubt, see number 1.
Welcome to Project Work (Score:1)
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Any Successful WFH-produced games? (Score:2)
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.
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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
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Ahh I've heard about Baldurs Gate 3, haven't played it or any of the previous ones. Cyberpunk was buggy as hell and they removed a bunch of the promised features ( https://old.reddit.com/r/cyber... [reddit.com] ).
This is news (Score:2)
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.
Re: This is news (Score:1)
Lots of weak performers (Score:1)
not enough (Score:2)
Need to be in office 7 days a week. More on leap year.