Naughty Dog Forced Employees to Crunch to Meet the Deadline for the New Game Demo

Naughty Dog recently implemented mandatory overtime for staff to meet internal development milestones for the upcoming title, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. Management required employees to work at least eight additional hours per week, with a target cap of 60 total hours, to ensure the completion of a project demo by a Sony-imposed deadline. These measures also included a shift in workplace policy, requiring staff to work from the office five days a week rather than the standard three-day hybrid arrangement.

The crunch period, which occurred in late 2025, was successful in meeting the specified demo deadline. Following the completion of this milestone, staff began transitioning back to standard working schedules, with the expectation that all overtime would conclude by early 2026. The game itself remains in development, with a projected release date in 2027. Neither Naughty Dog nor Sony provided official comments regarding these internal labor practices.

This development highlights ongoing industry scrutiny regarding labor conditions at major studios. The information is based on reports from late 2025 detailing the specific operational pressures placed on the development team during the production of the new title. The studio’s history of utilizing crunch to meet project deadlines remains a significant point of discussion within the broader context of game development management and employee welfare.