Xbox One Games –Employees Working Overtime on Diablo 4

During The Game Awards 2022, Blizzard announced that Diablo IV would be out in June, and pre-orders began. However, some anonymous employees are not sure about the June 2023 release date, and they call it too optimistic. This can put one of the most popular Xbox One games at risk.

Xbox One Games – Things Seem to be Quite Bad

The sources paint a bad picture and complain of mismanagement, high turnover, and heavy crunch for “paltry” rewards. A crunch is when employees work long hours and weekends for higher pay, usually 1.5 times their normal wage.

Game companies also incentivize crunch time by adding other rewards on top of the higher pay rate. The employees say Diablo IV might be too far behind for a June release.

They show an example of a team for a key part of the project. It has about 20 developers and they lose nearly half of them in one year.

The insiders say the employees left to find “more competitive wages and better work conditions” at other companies. However, there is no mention of whether it was due to resignations or firing.

What is Blizzard’s View on Overtime

Blizzard says that overtime is strictly voluntary, and it offers many incentives to entice employees to work overtime. Some employees think they are “unnecessary and destructive.”

They believe the incentives make the leadership cut corners, compromise, and ship unfinished games. They focus on release times and not on doing what is best for long-term value for gamers.

Blizzard’s handling of crunch time has been a controversial topic in the industry. The employees’ concerns about the crunch at Blizzard are not unique either.

In fact, many other game studios also face criticism for mandatory or too much overtime work. Many people believe that crunch culture is harmful to employees’ well-being and leads to lower productivity, quality, and creativity.

Blizzard’s Official Comments on Diablo 4’s Development

Blizzard spokesman Andrew Reynolds says that production on Diablo IV is going well. So, any overtime is voluntary and only happens in some teams.

The company tends to survey the team on their professional health too. So, the latest results are the most positive they have been in years.

Blizzard did not comment on attrition, but Reynolds says that the game is on schedule and coming on time. Whatever the insiders may think, Blizzard is now on record with a June 6, 2023, release date.

Crunch or no crunch, if Diablo IV misses that date, fans might be forgiving, but investors won’t.

Xbox One Games – Uncertainty Still Prevails

Whether or not the game will be out in June 2023 remains a bit unclear. However, one thing is certain: the issue of crunch in the gaming industry is far from over. So, it will likely continue to be a topic of debate and controversy for years to come. In the meanwhile, we can focus on other Xbox One games that seem to be in the right for the most part. A great example of that is the hugely popular Elden Ring.