Following accusations of crunch and exploitative labor practices, Naughty Dog's creative director brings out the benefits of the sequel.
The last weeks are being very current around The Last of Us Part 2 and not precisely because of news around the video game, planned for May on PlayStation 4. After confirming the series based on the title of Naughty Dog by the British chain HBO, former employees and former workers of the Californian company have publicly denounced crunch conditions. Neil Druckmann, creative director of the title, has taken the chest out of his animation team.
“Even after years of working on it, I'm still impressed by the animation in (The Last of Us) Part II. We have one of the best (if not the best) animation team in the entire industry, ”he begins, saying in a message posted on Twitter. “Both in raw animation skills and technical knowledge. I can't wait any longer so that you can experience his incredible work ”, he ends up saying.
Even after years of working on it, I'm still blown away by the animation in Part II. We have one of – if not the – best animation team in the industry – both in raw animation skill and technical knowledge. Can't wait for you to experience their incredible work.
– Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) March 13, 2020
Where the accusations of labor exploitation come from
The succession of messages alleging a crunch situation (a euphemistic way of speaking of labor exploitation; condition of unpaid overtime for a long period of time) come from two days. On the one hand, the Kotaku report where former workers anonymously uncovered how they had to work in the past to arrive on time at the dates set by their superiors.
The Last of Us Part 2 is "a very good game, but it comes at a very high cost to people," they said. Remarkably, 70% of those who worked on Uncharted 4: Dragon's End (2016, PS4) are no longer on Naughty Dog.
On the other hand, Jonathan Cooper, renowned animation expert with participation in games such as The Last of Us Part 2, Uncharted 4: The Thief's End, Assassin's Creed 3 or Mass Effect; who went on to say that "A good friend of mine was hospitalized during that time."
Naughty Dog has not responded to these accusations, so it has neither confirmed nor denied the veracity of all those testimonies. Druckmann, meanwhile, has preferred to bring out the worth of the game's animation team. FreeGameTips had the opportunity to speak with the head of the animation team for The Last of Us Part 2 last September.
The Last of Us Part 2 will be released on May 29 on PlayStation 4.
