L.A. Noire lead programmer defends Team Bondi, admits development hardship
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Team Bondi has caught a lot of flack from ex-staffers recently about unfair work hours in the final weeks of L.A. Noire development. Lead gameplay programmer Dave Heironymus recently defended the company to the IGDA in a letter republished by Gamasutra, explaining that he "didn't want to see [Team Bondi] destroyed by anonymous ex-employees."
Taking a similar stance as studio boss Brendan McNamara, Heironymus says that while employees worked long hours, they weren't being asked to do anything that their superiors weren't also doing. Heironymus also downplayed the 100-hour weeks that some staffers have claimed, saying that he would have discouraged any members of his team attempting to work that much.
However, Heironymus isn't claiming innocence for Team Bondi's management. He writes, "no-one at Team Bondi is under the illusion that crunching is a good way to work and we're actively working to learn from our mistakes for our next project."
Taking a similar stance as studio boss Brendan McNamara, Heironymus says that while employees worked long hours, they weren't being asked to do anything that their superiors weren't also doing. Heironymus also downplayed the 100-hour weeks that some staffers have claimed, saying that he would have discouraged any members of his team attempting to work that much.
However, Heironymus isn't claiming innocence for Team Bondi's management. He writes, "no-one at Team Bondi is under the illusion that crunching is a good way to work and we're actively working to learn from our mistakes for our next project."
Reader Comments (60)
Posted: Jul 15th 2011 12:34PM Pure Black World Tendency said
CRUNCH TIME DOESN'T INVOLVE CHOCOLATE??!
Posted: Jul 15th 2011 1:11PM Jason B said
I worked around 110+hours a week for almost 4 months straight in 2009. It sucked, but the pay was good.
Posted: Jul 15th 2011 4:44PM bargaingamer said
I think Team Bondi pay there worker by salary so work 100 hours a week is not really acceptable unless your being compensated for their time.
Posted: Jul 15th 2011 4:51PM SergeiSmith said
As someone who has had to work 100 hour weeks in the past, I would never have supported the game (bought it week one) had I know the developers supposed flippant attitude towards "crunch time."
It's one thing to ask that of your employees one or two months of the year. But to keep up that kind of a work week for years is not something I'd support. Burning out all of your employees may make one good game, but it will not sustain the industry.
It's one thing to ask that of your employees one or two months of the year. But to keep up that kind of a work week for years is not something I'd support. Burning out all of your employees may make one good game, but it will not sustain the industry.
Posted: Jul 15th 2011 6:20PM iceveiled said
Two weeks ago called and wants it hot story back.
Posted: Jul 17th 2011 12:09AM JCDoe said
The problem with this whole mess is poor project management. "Leadership" isn't just a set of courses for MBAs to pad their diplomas. There is a genuine art to properly managing people and projects. Managing budgets, milestones, project goals and ambitions, and staffing is a significant amount of work.
Generally speaking, when a game is poorly managed, the problem is that the project managers didn't set frequent enough milestones ("have an alpha by this date" is nowhere near good enough for keeping a massive dev team on task), didn't outline project boundaries and ambitions up front (this is what almost killed Duke Nukem Forever), or didn't appropriately spend budgeted resources (examples include Shenmue, which ran SIGNIFICANTLY over budget and which, under unscrupulous management, would have resulted in significant unpaid overtime).
I feel for these Team Bondi guys, I really do. But the problem is the guys in charge, and if that doesn't change, I'd take my resume elsewhere (working on LA Noire has to count for something).
Generally speaking, when a game is poorly managed, the problem is that the project managers didn't set frequent enough milestones ("have an alpha by this date" is nowhere near good enough for keeping a massive dev team on task), didn't outline project boundaries and ambitions up front (this is what almost killed Duke Nukem Forever), or didn't appropriately spend budgeted resources (examples include Shenmue, which ran SIGNIFICANTLY over budget and which, under unscrupulous management, would have resulted in significant unpaid overtime).
I feel for these Team Bondi guys, I really do. But the problem is the guys in charge, and if that doesn't change, I'd take my resume elsewhere (working on LA Noire has to count for something).
Posted: Jul 17th 2011 1:13AM Siphillis said
I believe the term is "Doubt."
Posted: Oct 7th 2011 6:20PM Sadistblue said
If they had to cram towards the end of development, were they really working their best the rest of the time? I work in the grocery business, and long hours come with the holidays. Sound like their long hours comes at their deadline. They knew in advance... QQ




