Some Rockstar Games developers have expressed their displeasure at a mandate from management that employees have to return to the office full-time from April, according to reports.
With the anticipation for the release of Grand Theft Auto 6 reaching stratospheric levels, and the game entering the final phases of development, Rockstar Games wants it developers in the office for five days a week from April, as opposed to the hybrid arrangements they have been working in for some time, according to a report from Bloomberg.
The reason for the changing in working practices were down to productivity and security, according to Bloomberg, quoting an unnamed source from within the company, who spoke about an apparently company-wide email sent by Rockstar’s head of publishing, Jenn Kolbe.
By making the change, it would put Rockstar in the best position to deliver GTA6 at the level of “quality and polish we know it requires” Kolbe’s email is reported to have said.
With the level of expectation from gamers at unprecedented levels, Rockstar’s management evidently want to take no chances that the game disappoints – but it is a huge undertaking. Indeed, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, said they are “seeking perfection” with GTA6. No pressure, then.
But apparently some developers are “not thrilled” by this development, according to a post on X (formerly Twitter) by Jason Schreier, who wrote the Bloomberg article.
Others, such as Tez2 – a noted Rockstar insider – have claimed that employees have known about the return-to-office edict for some time, and this, along with management becoming stricter, has meant that some developers have decided to quit the company.
What this could mean for the release date of the game is unclear. It is known that GTA6 is coming out in 2025, but not when. Given what Rockstar is trying to achieve, it is possible the date could be towards the end of the year as the company tries to ensure it lives up to expectations.
