It looks like Take-Two and Rockstar Games are both pushing to avoid a third GTA 6 delay. Just last week, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick shrugged off delay rumors, pointing out that many people will likely take a sick day on November 19, the current release date for Grand Theft Auto 6.
The toll of this final push, however, may weigh heavily on employees. On Glassdoor, a website that allows verified employees to anonymously publish reviews of their own companies, two reviews were posted last week noting this very issue. The first one went live on April 30. A former game tester from Washington DC gave Rockstar Games 5 out of 5 stars, highlighting that the studio's technology and innovation are the best in the industry. However, this review also mentioned "hectic days" and "bad crunching".
Another review posted on May 1 went a lot deeper. Rating Rockstar just 2 out of 5 stars, this QA Analyst from Rockstar India (headquartered in Bengaluru) titled his review "Exciting projects but unrealistic workload and expectations". In the full review, which you can find below, the analyst confirms they were working on GTA 6 but also complained about overtime work without pay and a work schedule that affected their very mental health.
Pros
- Free food is nice - There is growth, but limited - You get to work on the most anticipated entertainment project in the world.
Cons
- You are expected to work overtime without pay. - The work schedule has been hectic since last month. - Some colleagues had to work till 3 AM in the morning after completing their shifts in the morning. - They're expecting us to complete tasks that usually take 5-6 months in 2-3 months. - If you complain to HOD, it's useless.
Advice to Management
I enjoyed working here in the previous year but the last few weeks have been a toll on my mental health, please be lenient on us, we are humans too.
That Rockstar would demand crunch ahead of the November 19 launch date of GTA 6 isn't exactly surprising. At the same time, it's never pleasant to read that it's so heavy to even affect the employees' mental health. It's also disappointing that overtime work is expected but not compensated. For a company with the pockets of Rockstar, which has spent nearly $3 billion on staff costs alone since 2019, it doesn't make much sense to skimp on this now that the launch is so close.
Late last year, Rockstar also fired several employees in the UK and a few in Canada, alleging that they had disclosed company secrets. The employees countered that this was sheer union-busting, but a UK tribunal was unable to reach the same conclusion.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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