Does Gameloft Have Something In Common With Team Bondi?
by Mike Lata
July 19, 2011
According to recent reports originating from Gameloft employees, the company responsible for iOS gaming hits like the recent 9mm, may not be the ideal place to work.
The Escapist, reports that the news originated from a former head programmer named Glenn Watson. He filed a complaint against Gameloft's studio in Auckland, New Zealand and essentially said he was overworked.
"Some weeks I was work ing 100 to 120 hours a week," Watson said. "Starting at 9:30, going home at 2:30 [the following day], and then coming back into the office at 8:30 to start work again was not unusual." "There were other times when I would be called back into the office at 23:30 by the studio producer, only to head home again at 2:30. It was after I worked four consecutive weeks of fourteen-hour days - including weekends - that I realized I needed to resign."While 100 to 120 hours sounds a bit exaggerated, whether true or not, Gameloft appears to be forcing quite a bit of overtime onto its programmers. In fact, the news sounds a bit like what Team Bondi was accused of (also by former employees) recently. Is the gaming industry treating developers like slaves? Or are developers choosing to get into a field where they just program all day and voluntarily work overtime almost everyday? That is a question on many gamers' minds, especially younger gamers who may have dreams of becoming game developers themselves.
