Overview
- Bloomberg reports staff were instructed from late October to add at least eight hours of overtime per week, log those hours, and keep total weekly time under 60.
- Employees were told to work in-office five days a week during the push, up from the usual three-day hybrid arrangement set to return in January.
- The overtime was tied to completing an internal demo for a Sony review, which sources say was finalized this week with most staff returning to normal schedules.
- Naughty Dog and Sony declined to comment on the reported measures, which followed missed internal deadlines on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
- The project is reportedly targeting a mid-2027 release, and some employees fear similar overtime mandates could recur as development advances; reports also note many producers hired in 2021 to curb crunch have since left.