{"id":13808,"date":"2026-09-15T21:54:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T20:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehotedit.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/i-expect-people-to-crunch-says-wardogs-boss-so-his-studio-will-check-peoples-socials-to-see-if-they-criticize-crunch-online-before-hiring-them\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T21:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T20:54:00","slug":"i-expect-people-to-crunch-says-wardogs-boss-so-his-studio-will-check-peoples-socials-to-see-if-they-criticize-crunch-online-before-hiring-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thehotedit.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/15\/i-expect-people-to-crunch-says-wardogs-boss-so-his-studio-will-check-peoples-socials-to-see-if-they-criticize-crunch-online-before-hiring-them\/","title":{"rendered":"“I expect people to crunch,” says Wardogs boss, so his studio will “check people’s socials” to see if they criticize crunch online before hiring them"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Crunch culture is one of the most controversial and maligned aspects of video game development, right up there with generative AI and mass layoffs. Forcing employees to work well beyond their normal hours to ensure a game ships on time is generally viewed as not a good thing, but Wardogs studio Bulkhead very much embraces crunch as an inevitability and sees embrace of crunch as part of a strong work ethic.<\/p>\n

“A lot of people who may have an issue with crunch\u2014rightly so, I understand that issue, we always try and avoid it, but we don’t hide that this is going to happen at some point\u2014they often don’t make it in the door,” Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer tells The Game Business<\/a>. “We want to be known for that: this is a place you come to work hard. If you care about the work you’re making and the result of what you make here, you’ll feel really valued. If you don’t, you will feel slave-driven.”<\/p>\n

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