Naughty Dog, renowned for its blockbuster games, is pushing its developers to their limits with mandatory overtime on their upcoming title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. The studio is striving to meet a crucial deadline for an internal demo that Sony will review, leading to extended work hours and increased in-office presence for the team.
Increased Workload and Overtime
According to reports, since late October, developers have been compelled to work an additional eight hours weekly, though the total work hours are capped at 60. This intensified schedule is documented in an internal spreadsheet. The studio has also shifted from a flexible work arrangement to requiring five days a week in the office, a change that has caused logistical challenges for some employees, including arranging unexpected childcare and pet care.
These efforts are all aimed at completing an internal demo after several missed deadlines, with the game targeting a mid-2027 release internally. The report notes that the overtime mandate concluded this week, allowing the team to return to three mandatory in-office days until the end of January, with further scheduling updates pending.
Naughty Dog’s History of Crunch
Naughty Dog is no stranger to crunch culture, having faced similar issues with past hits like Uncharted and The Last of Us. The studio has openly recruited staff willing to work under such conditions. In 2021, co-presidents Evan Wells and Neil Druckmann discussed the balance between preventing burnout and fostering creativity, though efforts to manage workloads have seen mixed success. Many producers hired to distribute workload have since left, while some employees have already dedicated significant hours to launch Intergalactic’s first trailer, which premiered at The Game Awards.
Ambitious Goals for Intergalactic
Druckmann has described Intergalactic as Naughty Dog’s most “ambitious,” “expansive,” and “expensive” project yet. He stated, “What can I say and not say? I can tell you we’re in the thick of it. We’re making it, we’re playing it. We’re firing on all cylinders.”