Reports of workplace crunch are becoming all too common these days, and with each one coming to light, they are taken seriously by the companies where said reports are about. One such report recently popped up about NetherRealm Studios, the developers best known for the Mortal Kombat franchise. Former employees spoke of excessively long workweeks in order to meet the deadline for Mortal Kombat 11, which just arrived a few weeks ago. However, NetherRealm Studios has officially released a statement regarding the matter, and noted that they are actively looking into these claims.
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In a statement to Variety, they said: “At NetherRealm Studios, we greatly appreciate and respect all of our employees and prioritize creating a positive work experience. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage diversity and constantly take steps to reduce crunch time for our employees. We are actively looking into all allegations, as we take these matters very seriously and are always working to improve our company environment. There are confidential ways for employees to raise any concerns or issues.”
Also speaking with Variety, a current employee stated that they have been working 60-70 hours a week, seven days a week for the past four months. He did note that there are many factors that play into why the work crunch has been present at NetherRealm, including MK Day, which apparently significantly set them back. Essentially, even though they were already behind, they pulled everyone off of what they were doing to save face for MK Day.
Of course, problems have persisted since Mortal Kombat 11 launched on April 23rd, as there were issues with the game’s grind and it being excessively difficult. This has led to the crunch still allegedly being present at NetherRealm Studios, and will likely continue until something significant is done about it.
Mortal Kombat 11 is currently available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. For more on the game, check out some of our previous coverage.
What do you think about this? Do you believe something needs to be done about all of the crunch that has been going on in game development lately? Do you think it has always been a part of the business? Sound off in the comment section below, or feel free to hit me up over on Twitter @anarkE7!
Source: Variety
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