Grasshopper Manufacture head and developer superstar Goichi “Suda51” Suda is taking a stand against development crunch culture. Even with his gameNo More Heroes 3in development, the dev is saying no to overtime.
Crunch culture has become something of a meme. Between games likeAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsgetting delayed toNaughty Dog slipping a few crunch culture references intoLast of Us 2, gamers are constantly reminded that their games were paid for dearly in stress and overtime by their favorite devs. But some studios are moving away from crunch culture, saying it’s bad for studios, employees, and gamers alike.
RELATED:No More Heroes 3 Gameplay Blocked by Suda 51’s Head
In a recent interview, Suda51 says that his successful studioGrasshopper Manufactureis built on the idea of “work-life balance.” Suda51 says that “Unnecessary overtime is simply not allowed at all" at his studio, and that he enforces this idea of taking time off as a necessity. Considering how ingrained crunch culture is in video game development, it’s quite the surprise to see someone taking a stand.
He isn’t the only one.Newly-minted LightSpeed Studiohas also said that crunch culture will not be allowed in its new, AAA development studio. This new studio will be run by former Rockstar Games Steve Martin, a man familiar with crunch due to working on games likeRed Dead Redemption 2.
Grasshopper has been in business for more than 20 years, making an amazing array ofclassic games that will hopefully come to Switch. The studio is living proof that gaming development without the tremendous pressure is something that can work. With less burnout and less overworking, players can also benefit. They may get fewer games a year, but those games will be of higher quality.
Suda51 is working onNo More Heroes 3; he mentioned back in November that thegame was about 35% complete. He also said back in October that Grasshopper will be making a horror game withSilent Hillcreator Swery65. It may be a bit before gamers seen anything new from the studio, but it’s almost guaranteed that the game will be worth the wait.
