"No One Really Noticed Those Sleepless Nights:" Former Ghost of Tsushima Dev

Former Ghost of Tsushima Lead Character Artist spent countless sleepless nights developing the game but says no one really noticed.

[Christopher]

"and hopefully they will keep my name on the credits even though I left the company"

"since then I only look forward to my future plans and to achieving much bigger goals in life."

I mean, we kind of hope so as well, but this seems very self-serving and focused rather than at all about the game. More a "look at me" post than anything else.

[phoenixwing]

@christopher

it may be self serving but he probably is worried about marketing himself as an artist and wants to get some buzz spreading about his work.

[Christopher]

"It may be self serving but it was definitely self-serving."

I get why he might do it (other than need for attention that is rampant on social media by some), but it just feels really awkward. I follow a ton of artists on twitter and they market themselves by showing their work and letting people know they're looking for work and to contact them if they want to see more or the like. His response was kind of like congratulating a kid for defeating cancer and talking about how he was there for the kid the whole time. It feels weird to me. Maybe it's just because I get turned off by that stuff naturally? I dunno. Just feels weird.

[naruga]

i agree with Phoenix ....lame article ..some random artist of the game that got bored and quited in the middle of development try to get credit...wihtout having smthing to present (his artstation account proves that is not so imaginative guy or somone that would fit in GoTsushima) ...i hope he dont get any credit

[abstractel]

If it comes across selfish or attention seeking from this artist doesn't matter as much as to how much it speaks to the larger epidemic that won't go away with developers. Actors and writers formed guilds to protect themselves after being overworked and underpaid for years.

This hasn't happened for developers or artists working on movies. Unlimited hours are expected. Your view going into it is going to change with the years. Then at that point it's all you know how to do.

[phoenixwing]

He did put in work so its more like a runner congratulating themselves after winning a race. But ill be honest i dont know how artists are supposed to go about marketing themselves so if you say its not normal to do what he did i believe ya

[Highlife]

But he didn't finish the race. It's more like give me credit I gave up and went home

[Christopher]

On Twitter there's a ton of shared work between artists and they link up regularly just to keep up with one another as well as to learn how they do certain tricks. They also do some great analysis of games and how things are accomplished with them. About twice a year there's also times when they share their contacts with each other so people can follow more artists. The artists in games tend to be really good at sharing with the community of other artists.

[rainslacker]

It's not common to put people in the credits if they leave the company. This applies to actual employees. Contractors will usually still be included if their work ends before the game is finished.

It's not usually malicious, it's that when they go to make the credits, the person who adds their name to the list just isn't there anymore to make sure they're in it.

If a person leaves in a bad way, then they more often than not will not be included, and the person who took over their job would be given the credit. For an artist, they may be included in the list of names with no specific title.

Most artist market themselves by posting their portfolio. He can still say he worked on the game, and show his work from it. Having the name in the credits is a bonus, but not absolutely necessary.

The gaming industry is pretty insular, and it's one of those things where everyone knows everyone, or knows someone who knows someone else. If he's looking for work in the game industry, then he probably doesn't need to market himself too much. Just apply for jobs.

[Highlife]

Wow what a self indulgent piece of work. Wawawwaawaa cry me a river. It's called hard work people do that for a living. If this guy was a plumber would he want his name on the pipes hey boss look at me.
Go ahead and put him in the credits

Artist that quit when it got tough but still wants credit

Insert name here

[coolbeans]

To think I wouldn't see a comment I hated more than Tyler's in this section.

-" If this guy was a plumber would he want his name on the pipes hey boss look at me."

That's such a laughable comparison. A plumber didn't MAKE anything regarding said pipes though, his part comes in respect to labor and putting them together. The manufacturer on the other hand? Every single piece of PVC, copper, etc. is recognized as a BRAND. Inventors who create new things get THEIR name on a patent.

This is so ridiculous.

[IamTylerDurden1]

He worked on the game for two years and had some sleepless nights meanwhile there are over 100 devs who worked on the game for SIX years and had far more sleepless nights. It's called game development.

I'm not sure what this guy wants he was there for 1/3 of the development and didn't even see the game ship. Kudos for working hard, but u left right before crunch. The countless other devs who stuck it out are about to hit the period in development where nobody sleeps, ever. It's not fair, but that is our brutal industry. I empathize far more for the men and women who worked on the game from the jump, those that will sweat and bleed to see it ship. But thanks for your contribution I suppose. The art is beautiful.

[coolbeans]

I've gotta say this such a callous denigration of an artist's effort. Like, among the most contemptuous ones I've seen.

-"Kudos for working hard, but u left right before crunch."

The phrase "everything said before the 'but' in a sentence doesn't matter" really rings home here. What's with playing this weird game of slicing up his % of contribution or minimizing said effort just b/c he wasn't there during a controversial period of development--not knowing the full background for his departure too? The ONLY thing he wishes the team follows through on is adding HIS NAME TO THE CREDITS.

-"But thanks for your contribution I suppose. The art is beautiful."

With a tone as dismissive as an unsympathetic AAA publisher grinding his workers to pulp for an upcoming deadline. Nice.

[Highlife]

And here you are supporting all the grinding to a pulp by buying all these games. You are just as dismissive

[coolbeans]

@Highlife

And here you are making a false equivalence.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Ok coolbeans, meanwhile, the guy above me called the guy a self indulgent piece of work and mocked him....but MY post is the most dastardly, callous denigration of an artist's efforts and the most contemptuous ever?

"With a tone as dismissive as an unsympathetic AAA publisher grinding his workers to pulp for an upcoming deadline. Nice"

Huh? What are u going on about? Nice metaphor, meanwhile, i clearly sympathized for the hard working men and women who are forced to endure the brutal crunch that nearly every AAA game is saddled with. And i do respect the hard work this man put in, but that's game development in general. Everybody works hard, especially during the last several months of development. Also, people leave projects every day, but we aren't inundated with self promoting articles on N4G regarding it.

It just seemed odd that this developer was singling himself and Sucker Punch out. Just put the project on your resume and apply for jobs like everyone else. Talking about how nobody noticed the sleepless nights like he's a martyr.

If he had simply said some kind words about the game and requested his name be on the credits i wouldn't really have an issue with it. However, he talks about himself as if he made a great sacrifice yet there are devs that worked on the project for much longer, who are about to endure a brutal crunch in an effort to see the project ship.

I don't know the exact circumstances regarding his departure, but he claims he left because he wanted new challenges. It doesn't sound like it was any personal crisis or family obligation. I'm just a firm believer in supporting your team and seeing things through, if he wanted to leave prior to the final push, that's fine, but don't expect sympathy strictly because you did your job.

[Christopher]

Eh. I have zero issue with him wanting the work he did to be tied to the project even though he left before it was done. A ton of the design concepts were finalized while he was there more than likely. He was likely involved in setting the overall tone of the game, which is very important.

I just feel he should have focused on how happy he was to work on the project and not turn it into "now let's talk about me and what I'm doing now" after that.

[coolbeans]

-"Ok coolbeans, meanwhile, the guy above me called the guy a self indulgent piece of work and mocked him....but MY post is the most dastardly, callous denigration of an artist's efforts and the most contemptuous ever?"

1.) I didn't designate this as "the most" in either of those respects. "Among the most contemptuous" on the other hand? Yeah, and I stand by it.
2.) This...Highlife character hadn't made any posts until--I'm guessing--right after I finished my reply. And I'd previously just auto-jumped to his reply to me before I went to work anyways so...you got me? That just means there's more awfulness to sift through, and shouldn't distract from your callousness either. Stop deflecting.

-"Nice metaphor, meanwhile, i clearly sympathized for the hard working men and women who are forced to endure the brutal crunch that nearly every AAA game is saddled with."

Okay...but why add that specific qualifier versus, I don't know, people in general who work hard for this craft--including guys like this who put in sleepless nights?!?! It's like my point is right in front of you and you're totally missing it.

-"Also, people leave projects every day, but we aren't inundated with self promoting articles on N4G regarding it."

And we're not now either. Considering how insular the games industry tends to be, it's not like these types of text blocks are common to see from a upper-level position anyway.

-"Talking about how nobody noticed the sleepless nights like he's a martyr."

Jesus Christ. It's like the very notion of praising a game you worked on but also quickly revealing the tougher aspects of the work (a feeling of disregard for your long hours) puts a target on your back. What is this over-dramatizing?

-"If he had simply said some kind words about the game and requested his name be on the credits i wouldn't really have an issue with it."

But he ALSO said those things too. This is what I find contemptuous about your approach: only say the nice things, make your simple request, and THEN I won't dismissively point out how you only toiled there for 2 years and didn't go through the crunch period with everyone else. How about not having an issue with a simple, justified request and not coming across as harsh and unfair?

-"I'm just a firm believer in supporting your team and seeing things through, if he wanted to leave prior to the final push, that's fine, but don't expect sympathy strictly because you did your job."

It's weird to see this conclusion right before you acknowledged not knowing the full circumstances for his departure. Who's to say his role, as a Lead Artist, didn't technically accomplish those two things? Like, all of the heavy lifting he may have done in respect to character designs, locales, visual framing, etc. left Sucker Punch in a good place to hire somebody else.

And what is this weird attitude in regards to sympathy? I understand the timing and framing, but it's not like he's run to the internet for a shoulder to cry on. It's literally just a wish for fair recompense. Without question some of his visual designs & tone are in this game. It shouldn't even be a worry he'd be credited as such.

[Rambokind]

Uh, isn't that what gaming developing is like? What a selfish take. If you don't like it, do something else.

[Tross]

I have no doubt that a lot of work by a lot of people goes into making games and I salute them for it. I’m pretty sure this guy is getting his name in the credits though.