Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.
Escapist logo header image

Pachter Says Team Bondi ā€œWasnā€™t Entitled to Overtime Payā€

This article is over 13 years old and may contain outdated information
image

Industry analyst Michael Pachter says game developers have no business complaining about working unpaid overtime hours during crunch time and if they donā€™t like it, they should find another job.

The Team Bondi debacle that blew up last month, with employees coming forward to complain about brutal, near-abusive working conditions and a drawn-out crunch period that saw employees working 110-hour weeks without being paid overtime, is probably the biggest scandal to hit the development industry since EA Spouse blew the whistle on EAā€™s poor labor practices back in 2004. But one man whoā€™s not buying into it is well-known analyst Michael Pachter. He doesnā€™t deny that it happens, he just doesnā€™t think it matters.

ā€œIā€™ve never heard a developer say ā€˜I donā€™t work overtime and I donā€™t work weekends,'ā€ Pachter said in the new edition of his GameTrailers show Pach Attack. ā€œIf youā€™re getting into the industry, you are going to work plenty of hours. If your complaint is you worked overtime and didnā€™t get paid for it, find another profession.ā€

ā€œI think thereā€™s a legitimate complaint if crunch time is never-ending,ā€ he continued. ā€œCrunch should be the last three to six months of game development. I do get that it is a bad and unfair business practice to work 18 months non-stop overtime, [but] I donā€™t think anybody was entitled to overtime pay.ā€

If youā€™re curious about why Pachter feels this way ā€“ and you should be ā€“ the short answer is that what developers donā€™t get in overtime pay is generally more than made up for by hefty bonuses, particularly for successful triple-A releases. ā€œIf you want to be an hourly employee, go build automobiles. And what will happen is theyā€™ll close down your plant some day and youā€™ll be out of work,ā€ he continued. ā€œThe cool thing about this industry is, if youā€™re good, youā€™ll make a ton of money. I think [the point] everyone is missing is that if a game is good ā€“ and L.A. Noire was good ā€“ there will be a profit pool, and there will be bonuses.ā€

As to the question of unions in development studios, which would presumably bring a rapid halt to the sort of behavior that allegedly went on at Team Bondi, Pachter was equally clear. ā€œSweatshops should have unions but game studios, which tend to pay people a lot of money, shouldnā€™t,ā€ he said.

The International Game Developerā€™s Association launched an investigation into the labor practices at Team Bondi in June.

via: GamePro

Recommended Videos

The Escapist is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author