Crunch time is one of the most negative aspects of the video game industry. A period where developers often endure sleepless nights, 18-hour workdays, and other major struggles, some of the most highly praised studios in gaming have been reported to have horrendous crunch time. Naughty Dog, Rockstar, and Cyberpunk 2077 developer CD Projekt Red are among the most well-known cases of crunch time in gaming.
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According to Apex Legends director Chad Grenier, however, the game’s development team will not be forced to endure absurd amounts of crunch just to deliver the game’s fans a bit of extra content. With Apex Legends on track to earn $1 billion already, it would not seem like that crunch is necessary, and Grenier shared his philosophy on a healthy workplace via a Reddit AMA.
In response to a rude commenter calling Grenier a liar, the director remained courteous and touched on the issue of slow Apex Legends content drops. Per Grenier, “we’ll probably be slower at making content than if we worked 15-hour days but that’s just not something we’re willing to do.” The director goes on to state that the Apex Legends team has doubled in size to meet content demands, with the focus being on bringing “quality content at a healthy pace.”
With Apex Legends coming under fire for crunch time awhile back via a former developer’s reddit post, Grenier’s recent comments that he and other higher-ups “refuse to crunch the team” is a positive sign of change in the industry. With Rockstar also improving crunch time conditions and more recent cases causing gamers to speak up and demand change, it seems like the people behind the games are finally being treated a bit better.
With Apex Legends character reworks possibly in development alongside more seasons of content, fans can rest assured that the game will still be supported for a long time to come. If that support feels slightly slower than other battle royales, however, just keep in mind that it seems to be for a good reason.
Apex Legends is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One with a Nintendo Switch version in development.
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