During its recent financial report SEGA has cut down on crunch time hours or as they call it “Overtime Hours” by 80 to 90 percent. Back in 2013 Sega established an anti-crunch initiative to cut down on the much talked about practice..
This news comes hot of the heels of a report that employs at Rockstar Games have been working 100 hours a week to get Red Dead Redemption 2 completed.and released on October 26th.
Crunch Time has been a serious issue in the industry for quite a long time. The Sega Anit-crunch Initiative is a great step forward for the company and its employees. Gamasutra reports that the initiative is currently only being established in four of Sega’s divisions: Sega Games, Sega’s Arcade Division, Sega Entertainment, TMS Animation, and Sega Toys.
The report goes on to say: “The main focus of the Group’s work-style reforms is the achievement of a balance between work and private life. We want employees to have quality time outside of the office so that they do not lose their creative drive. Well-established measures that the Group has introduced to reduce long overtime work have produced tangible results.”
Sega’s initiative is a great move forward for the industry. Ultimately the goal is to reach 100% of crunch time elimination and we hope more studios follow suite in Sega’s footsteps.
Source: Gamasutra