Driven by profit and startup-style management, the video game industry suffers from systemic labour problems that require significant regulatory intervention and the development of worker protections. Crunch is the buzzword that describes stories of worker exhaustion around the world.
By Matthaios TsimitakisThe global video game industry, valued at over $200 billion, has long been celebrated for its creativity and innovation. Yet behind the glossy trailers and blockbuster releases lies a darker reality: the pervasive culture of “crunch,” a term describing periods of intense, often mandatory overtime work to meet deadlines.
Crunch typically peaks in the final months of a game’s development cycle, with employees working 60–100 hours per week to resolve bugs, polish gameplay, or meet publisher demands. While occasional overtime is common in many industries, gaming’s crunch is uniquely systemic.
The practice is frequently justified as a “labour of love” in an industry fuelled by passion. However, critics argue this romanticisation masks a toxic cycle: studios overpromise release dates, underestimate development complexity, and rely on unpaid overtime to bridge the gap.
Developers describe sleepless nights, missed family milestones, and deteriorating mental health. Burnout, anxiety, and even physical ailments like repetitive strain injuries are frequently reported.
A couple of weeks ago “People Make Games”, journalist’s Chris Bratt YouTube channel issued a video about an Indonesian studio called Brandoville, which worked with companies like Ubisoft and Microsoft as an outsource provider. In that video, a former employee name Sydney detailed disturbing working conditions, close to deadlines including, mandatory prayers, written punishments, outfit inspections, public humiliation, sleep deprivation and physical assaults. Other employees described unjustified wage garnishments, being required to attend the office during personal crises, and even compulsory presence during a colleague's hospitalization.
Brandoville has become a stark example of workplace misconduct. Ubisoft, one of Brandoville's clients, stated they were “deeply disturbed” and “strongly condemn any form of abuse”.
The consequences of crunch, being a systemic problem, extend beyond individual well-being. Exhausted developers are more prone to errors, potentially compromising game quality. This risk is starkly illustrated by Cyberpunk 2077’s infamous launch, which was riddled with glitches despite its gruelling development cycle. CD Projekt Red, creators of The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077, faced backlash in 2020 after pledging to avoid crunch in the future—only to mandate six-day work weeks ahead of Cyberpunk’s later launch. And Europe’s gaming sector, home to giants like Ubisoft (France), CD Projekt Red (Poland), and Mojang (Sweden), has not been immune to these pressures, despite the continent’s robust working regulations.
According to Cognitive Market Research, Europe held the largest gaming market, with more than 30% of the global revenue and a market size of USD 75379.26 million in 2024. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 8.1% from 2024 to 2031 due to diverse gaming cultures, platforms, and genres. With a strong presence of AAA titles and indie games, as well as a burgeoning e-sports scene, Europe is a major hub for gaming innovation, consumption, and community engagement. However, according to a survey called the Big Game Industry Employment Report, the labour market in the continent is volatile. Nearly 15% of laid-off people in Europe found new jobs between 2023 and 2024, and 6.2% of laid-off developers are still looking for work. In addition, 10% of game practitioners in Europe chose to change careers and find jobs last year.
According to the 2025 GDC State of the Game Industry report, whose data was compiled from the responses of over 3,000 developers, game makers are still reeling from cuts across publishers and studios, both big and small. 1 in 10 developers say they've been laid off in the past year, with over 40 per cent of developers feeling the immediate impact of those departures. They’re also feeling the effects of generative AI, with over 50 per cent of respondents saying their companies use the tools and roughly one-third saying they have personally used them to make games. The above describes the systemic problem as outsourcing, a structural element of the globalised digital economy, fills in the gaps between production needs and profit extraction while keeping labour costs at a lower level. People make games explained how crunch works as an overall system of production.
Additionally, salaries and remuneration discrepancies vary widely among EU and non-EU countries and between men and women. The industry's work culture primarily excludes women, with only 14% representation, and lacks proper legal protections. Ubisoft faces another major workplace misconduct scandal, with three executives facing trial for creating a toxic, sexually aggressive work environment. The investigation revealed systematic harassment of female employees, including public sexual comments, inappropriate behaviour, and HR's consistent failure to address complaints.
Companies celebrating “inclusive” and “employee-first” values face accusations of hypocrisy when crunch persists. The path to eradicating crunch is fraught with challenges. Publishers often blame rigid release windows and shareholder expectations, while developers cite a lack of bargaining power in a competitive job market. Growing public awareness—fuelled by viral social media threads and employee testimonials—is forcing studios to reckon with their practices. UK-based Media Molecule and Sweden’s Starbreeze have experimented with flexible schedules and “crunch-free” policies. Yet progress is uneven, with many employees reporting little change behind closed doors. In the UK, grassroots organizations like Game Workers Unite have amplified calls for unionization, while France’s Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo and the global alliance of Game Workers Coalition, advocates for stricter overtime regulations.
Want to dig more into the subject ? Read on:
The cruel optimism of “good crunch”: How game industry discourses perpetuate unsustainable labor practices - New Media and Society, March 2023, Open Access
