150°

Glen Schofield Responds to Crunch Criticism

Glen Schofield, CEO of Striking Distance Studios and director of its debut title The Callisto Protocol, followed up deleted tweet, claiming the studio values "passion and creativity, not long hours".

Yppupdam1012d ago (Edited 1012d ago )

C'mon, Glen....You know you crack the whip. gotta' make sure you get all those sweet, sweet micro transactions all programmed in and working perfectly before release. as for the game, well,... gameplay bugs can be fixed after it releases.

Christopher1012d ago (Edited 1012d ago )

***well,... gameplay bugs can be fixed after it releases.***

Every single PR and Community Manager has to get a good laugh at this. Public criticism over bugs at release definitely won't affect their sales potential. /s

---

I think the only solution companies have is delaying games and having someone in-house that tells all the other upper and middle-management people to STFU with changes or they're fired because if you don't do that, there's going to always be crunch. Otherwise, you're either going to go crunch or shit release (or both). Releasing with bugs, though, is definitely not a good answer to this stuff.

Yppupdam1012d ago

That wasn't the point I was making, the talk of micro transactions is more of an issue, and like I was implying, they always seem to work perfectly...even in a buggy game. as for "cracking the whip, only an idiot thinks that doesn't happen at every development house no matter how much they try to hide it. I actually don't care, You chose to work there, and last time I checked The US isn't a socialist country yet, which means they cannot force you to keep working at a job that treats you bad.

Christopher1012d ago

***That wasn't the point I was making***

Yet you still wrote it. So I replied to it.

***That wasn't the point I was making, the talk of micro transactions is more of an issue, and like I was implying, they always seem to work perfectly.***

Because those aren't even "a part of the game" and are storefront integrations completely managed outside the game. The only element that is a part of the game are the items you get in your inventory from their transactions and those are controlled by the same storefront backend they use for all their games.

And, even then, they do make mistakes. Usually it's in accidentally showing content too early or pricing them wrong. It's rare, but that's because it's practically just looking at a spreadsheet and checking it for errors in the end, not a developer error on interacting with the storefront (which typically involves utilizing API designed by a third-party, such as Steam, PSN, or Xbox Store.

***You chose to work there, and last time I checked The US isn't a socialist country yet, which means they cannot force you to keep working at a job that treats you bad.***

We should send you back in time to have you say this in regards to child labor laws with logic like this. Okay, maybe a bit far on that one :P

Anywho, yeah, it sucks. But saying it sucks and moving on isn't necessarily the answer here when there are other options. Like just delaying a game until it's reasonably ready for launch without working people to obscene hours.

That's a better industry which means a better chance at better and fewer buggy games in the end. But the people who make the money only care about how much they can squeeze out, and those people need to be called out and ridiculed as much as possible so they can go home and cry themselves to sleep with $100 bills.

Yppupdam1012d ago

child labor laws... really? your going to come at me with child labor laws. last time I checked, we were talking about adults. boo freaking hoo, job sucks, you quit. If these developers were making software for speed trap cameras, no one here would give a damn. as for MT, so they just appear against the wishes of everybody involve making the game? nobody programmed that stuff, they just came into work one day and all the client side assets were just there programmed, seamlessly into the game...like a virus. wow. You win Chris, the dev team are just perfection, they don't have to abide by any requirements of the contracts they signed when the agreed to work there. after all***child labor laws*** :P

Christopher1012d ago

***If these developers were making software for speed trap cameras, no one here would give a damn. as for MT***

I mean, how many versions of speed camera software do you need versus how many games are in development? I say this as someone who does contract software development myself. It's not like I'm not heavily competing for those jobs either or that they are just falling out of the sky outside of certain specific regions.

*** You win Chris, the dev team are just perfection, they don't have to abide by any requirements of the contracts they signed when the agreed to work there.***

Yeah, I agree, you don't have a good argument so let's be hyperbolic about the whole thing. First, you say just suck it up and it is what it is, now let's claim it's all perfect for the developers. Let's not at all meet in the middle where employees respect employers and employers respect employees.

But, hey, let's talk more about having job choices as if you can go out and get them for your skillset and worth the same as you can pick up white bread at the store. We definitely don't live in the real world where people need jobs to pay bills or anything.

***child labor laws... really?***

I guess sarcasm detection, especially using ":p" and saying out loud that that was probably too far, aren't in your repertoire. So, definitely, let's focus on that a lot.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1012d ago
TheLigX1012d ago

It’s time for the industry to unionize.

FPS_D3TH1011d ago

Games will never be finished and cost even more, guaranteed

TheLigX1011d ago

So you know nothing about unions aside from whatever propaganda you’ve been fed. Good to know.

sourOG1012d ago (Edited 1012d ago )

lol Twitter.. why bother? Only on Twitter could “I’m proud of my team and the hard work they are putting in” turn into an apology. People are whack 😂 allergic to work.

brewin1012d ago (Edited 1012d ago )

Its crazy. What's even crazier is that there are people who will go and lambaste a company for releasing a game with bugs, then turn around and complain these same developers should avoid crunch altogether?!

Crunch bad, bugs bad. Pick your poison.

You either have the hard work to eliminate the bugs or you release a buggy game that people bitch and moan about and don't buy, then tell their friends how buggy the game is thereby deterring sales.

Some people even call for entire studios to be shut down because the game is missing modes or released buggy. How the hell can it be both?! We really live in upsidedown clown world.

sourOG1012d ago (Edited 1012d ago )

The people bitching don’t have any pride in their work or creations. The have pride in stupid superficial shit instead. If you are not hiring a meme lord to run your company’s social media account then just stay off of Twitter. It’s a dump. Don’t interact with your fans until you launch.

CosmicTurtle1011d ago

Are you implying that games which have had crunch don’t have bugs? Could working longer hours not actually increase the likelihood of mistakes?

GoodGuy091012d ago

Love or hate it. Crunch is a thing and happens to pretty much every company. Games avoid being delayed and get more polished this way. And we as the consumers are very greedy and get pissed off at delays and buggy games which doesn't help it lol.

Kran1012d ago

But it doesn't NEED to happen. It only ever happens because of corporate greed. A triple-A game doesn't HAVE to make a certain release date, companies making them can easily afford to delay, but in order to quell corporate greed and make maximum potential profits, staff are crunched to make the release date, and in a lot of cases have disastrous results, see Cyberpunk 2077, Fallout 76 and GTA Remasters as just three examples.

frank_a1011d ago

That's 100% not true. Indie developers are statistically more likely to crunch then triple A developers are. Just read any book or story about successful indie games and you'll see how gruesome the development cycle was for those games. Most triple A games go on without a hitch. The media just makes a big fuss about the few, so it seems like the whole industry is made out of crunch, which it isn't.

Corporate greed has nothing to do with it. Bad management and poor scheduling does. And regardless if people like it or not, crunch is a reality of software development. It's not something unique of the videogame industry.

Kran1011d ago

@frank_A indie developers really are often just a few people though, and is so often self inflicted, but true enough in a way they feel they need to in order to make ends meet. But then the same can be said for any sort of passion project somebody has. I know myself I have spent so many hours on a single YouTube video for example, way past what would be considered normal hours to do so.

But I am not wrong when it comes to AAA games. They are made by developers who pretty much have enough money to last them decades. But alas, if they're not profiting and just burning money, they're not worth keeping open, hence why multiple game studios have shut.

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70°

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 devs praise games like Space Marine 2 for "lowering the barrier"

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.

Read Full Story >>
videogamer.com
Jingsing1d 5h ago

How about an official level editor for Boltgun?

220°

Phil Spencer Teases 2026 As A "Really Special Year" For Xbox

2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of Xbox, and Phil Spencer has teased it as a "really special year" for the games division.

Read Full Story >>
twistedvoxel.com
TheEroica1d 21h ago (Edited 1d 21h ago )

You got downvotes by pathetic gamers for feeling hopeful about good games coming out next year. Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy? It is pretty neat to see people's world view blow up in front of them as they realize Microsoft has put themselves in a driver's seat that Sony hasn't been able to touch all generation.... What's even more pathetic is the same people downvoting you are the same people wishlisting Microsoft games on their ps5s 😂

P_Bomb1d 18h ago

“Imagine how small your brain must be to downvote someone excited for future gaming joy?”

My dude your post history shits on EVERYTHING. You never have a good thing to say about anything lol! 🤣

PanicMechanic1d 9h ago (Edited 1d 9h ago )

“Getting ready for those GaaS reveals! Sony is a shadow of themselves this gen.”

You literally said this a couple of days ago. Start applying the clown make up, you hypocritical jester

derek1d 18h ago

Yep we'll see, they have alot releasing next year.

RaidenBlack1d 15h ago

NGL, next year might be one of the best years in gaming ... starting off with RE9 and GTA VI ...
and then all the good games that's been cooking
Pragmata, Sands of Time, Saros, Gears E-Day, 007 First Light, Blood of Dawnwalker,
Mortal Shell II, Onimusha, Marvel1943: Rise of Hydra
current-gen only Infinity Ward's CoD, Duskbloods
+ My guess: Wolverine, Exodus, Mudang, Crimson Desert, Clockwork etc ...
~ seems like it might get too stacked

1Victor1d 13h ago

@rokos:”Hopefully “
I downvoted you not for been hopeful but because I have seen the same “NEXT YEAR WILL BE SPECIAL “ comment for the last 10+ and hasn’t seen anything special from Microsoft.
I hope next year will be the one that everyone been waiting for since the last 3 years of the Xbox 360, it have to be after over $80 billions spent on acquisitions.

Lightning771d 13h ago

So the new excuse is they don't count because it's from the ABK now huh. I guess all those 3rd party games count even less because they don't own them. According to your always crappy logic.

InUrFoxHole1d 4h ago

Lol. You haven't seen anything special? Do you even game?

OtterX2d ago

Always with the "next year..."! 😂

neutralgamer19921d 23h ago

I don't know they have delivered this year and even last year. And they have a lot more content in the pipeline right now than anyone else. We can't just keep hating on MS

Indiana Jones
South of midnight
Avowed
Flight simulator
Hell Blade 2
Minecraft update
Gears of war reloaded
Indian Jones:expansion
Gears E day
Clockwork revolution
Fable
Doom the dark ages
The outer worlds 2
Grounded 2
Call of duty

OtterX1d 23h ago

How many of those titles were just buyouts of companies that were going about making their games anyways? *Throws cash - "Oh look what we made!"

dveio1d 23h ago (Edited 1d 22h ago )

This list, that's been posted again, and again, and again in every single topic like this, contains almost nothing, literally almost nothing from Microsoft's own creational thoughtprocess.

It's a bunch of former 3rd party IPs.

Now even slowly returning to Playstation in some cases like Indiana, Hellblade, probably Starfield soon too, after they were made exclusively to Xbox on purpose.

Due to Microsoft's lack for own IP material except Halo & Forza. Which, the lack of, was the sole reason for all of it to happen in the first place anyway. Please don't pretend it wasn't.

And just look at all the games that come from Obsidian alone.

You really think Obsidian wasn't already working on Avowed and South of Midnight even without Microsoft buying Zenimax?

Microsoft delivered nothing but cheques.

OtterX1d 23h ago (Edited 1d 23h ago )

@dveio THIS. Lol, this dude thinks Call of Duty wouldn't exist without Microsoft! smh 😂

neutralgamer19921d 22h ago (Edited 1d 22h ago )

Common narrative I see often — that Microsoft shouldn’t get credit for the games its studios release because they “just bought them.” But this viewpoint ignores key context and sets a double standard that other platform holders aren’t held to

No one is saying these games wouldn't exist at all without Microsoft. But let’s not pretend that having a trillion-dollar company backing a studio doesn’t make a massive difference. Obsidian never had AAA funding before the Xbox acquisition. Pillars of Eternity was crowdfunded, and their resources were always stretched thin. Now they’re working on Avowed, with proper support behind it.

Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was made by around 20 people, using borrowed equipment and doing mocap in a boardroom. It was a passion project held together by tape and willpower. Today, Hellblade II exists because they were given resources, time, and freedom — something many developers don’t get unless they’re owned by a company that believes in their vision.

ZeniMax (Bethesda’s parent company) was in real financial trouble before the Microsoft acquisition. Reports and insider accounts have pointed out how much they needed a cash infusion. And while some people want to write off Xbox’s ownership of Bethesda titles, they forget the alternative could have meant layoffs or even closures.

The same goes for Activision Blizzard. Would you really prefer the company to stay under Bobby Kotick, after all the documented workplace misconduct and toxic leadership issues? Say what you want about Microsoft, but their acquisition brought accountability and change to a company that desperately needed it.

At the same time, Xbox gets hated on for doing what every major company does. Sony bought Housemarque, Bluepoint, Insomniac — but no one says Spider-Man 2 “doesn’t count” because of that. Why does Xbox get treated differently for acquiring struggling or undervalued developers and giving them a chance to thrive?

And the idea that Xbox locks games away is outdated. They're pushing cross-platform releases, cloud gaming, Game Pass, and backward compatibility more than any other platform holder. They're not forcing all studios into live service. If anything, their upcoming lineup is less GAAS-heavy and more focused on narrative and creativity — Avowed, South of Midnight, Clockwork Revolution, Fable, Perfect Dark, Towerborne, and others show real variety.

Whether people like it or not, Xbox is now the biggest publisher in the industry and owns the most gaming IPs. But what matters more is how they treat their studios. Most of these teams were previously stuck making AA games with limited scope — now they’re getting the tools and support to aim higher.

So when people say “Microsoft didn’t make those games,” they’re missing the point. It’s not about who started the studio — it’s about who enabled them to do their best work. You don’t have to love Xbox to admit they’ve helped a lot of developers and are taking a player-first approach.

Instead of writing off everything they do, maybe try recognizing the good they’re doing for both devs and gamers. At the end of the day, we should want more studios to succeed — no matter who owns them

BeHunted1d 21h ago

I'm surprised Clockwork Revolution (BioShock meets Dishonored) isn't getting more media attention. The game looks interesting and reminds me of the old RPG games.

anast1d 21h ago

The only good game on that list is Flight sim. The rest are either average or will be average. It's not a good look for MS.

TheEroica1d 20h ago

My god.... Look how many comments are upset about microsoft's successes... 😂 This may be my new favorite thread. Not one gamer saying thanks for all the goodness coming their way, just bitter anger and downvoting the very games they themselves will purchase throughout 2026.... Sony really worked you guys over this generation.... Condolences.

DivineHand1251d 20h ago

@neutralgamer1992 You said what needed to be said.

I have heard for years from older gamers that fanboys are the biggest issue with any fanbase. They will defend or gloss over negative news as long as the correct logo is on the box and they bash the competing platform no matter how much good they are trying to bring.

Right now their advocacy for PlayStation is elevating that platform so high that Sony no longer believes they need to do anything to satisfy their loyal fanbase like they did in the PS4 days.

I just hope most of them will eventually start advocating for themselves and encourage others to do the same. No one should blindly support one platform because these companies do not care about anything other than profit.

neutralgamer19921d 19h ago

Hunted

And first proper game done by the studio with proper AAA budget and saying it will be released when ready

Anast

I believe we went through this before that you are objectively wrong. Meta critic, user reviews, game sales. In Playstation top 10 best selling games were 5 from Microsoft studios

Otter

No this dude is saying so many other studios wouldn't be thriving without MS money and people would be getting abused physically and mentally with Bobby kotick and his side kicks

Also maybe look up how the original founder of Bethesda and zenimax was kicked out of his own company by his best friend lawyer. So that was always a shady place and had been struggling financially before MS paid a premium of almost 7 billion

Eroica

I use to be a die hard Playstation fan and now I only have a Pc. I see how these fans are so toxic. They just can't handle any positive news regarding Xbox. When the best selling games on playstation are Xbox titles. Look at Forza horizon being best seller and that's years old game by MS. I guess ms don't deserve credit for that success too since they are the only company in gaming making acquisitions

Forget the fact Sony paid 3.6 billion for bungie and MS 6.9 for zenimax. Which investment has turned out better

Destiny and marathon with a lot of controversy

While zenimax output is nothing short of amazing compared to what bungie has released

crazyCoconuts1d 19h ago

Yeah it's tricky. "Xbox" has morphed to mean different things to different people.
Console, now Windows, GamePass, and the cross platform games. There's a mix of attitudes towards all those things individually, and maybe an overarching attitude towards MS. But can't argue that the game companies MS recently bought continue to flourish, and GamePass PC has been a great value over the last year.

InUrFoxHole1d 4h ago

@OtterX
You're the dude mad at your exes new guy. She's with someone else... get over it.

+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 1d 4h ago
Lightning771d 20h ago (Edited 1d 20h ago )

They've had good output so far. So waiting for those games shouldn't be a problem.

Who cares if they're buy outs of companies or whatever excuse you want to make. They're games that are being distributed to other console. Play the games and enjoy it instead of fanboying or complaining.

ocelot071d 22h ago

They going to be a he best and biggest publisher on Xbox, Playstation and PC next year. They not really said anything about Switch 2 though spite claiming to be big supporters.

quenomamen1d 22h ago

If you call making one last Xbox before going full Sega, as Great. Then yea.

TheEroica1d 20h ago

Doesn't feel like you're paying attention to what's happening.

RhinoGamer881d 21h ago

It will be, his net work will hit 50 million and he plans to buy a new mansion in Cape Cod. Thanks everyone! #failup

Show all comments (39)
80°

The Witcher 3 Immerse Gamepack — Product Introduction with Marcin Przybyłowicz

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