Crunch Culture Returns: Naughty Dog Workers Face Mandatory Overtime for Intergalactic Demo

Employees at Naughty Dog have spent nearly two months working overtime to finalize the demo for the action-adventure game  Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet. This information was reported by journalist Jason Schreier in an article that details the situation.

According to Schreier’s report, after multiple missed deadlines, Naughty Dog hurried to prepare a presentation for Sony. By late October, the studio mandated overtime, requiring each employee to work at least eight extra hours per week and log their hours in a spreadsheet. There was a cap set at a maximum of 60 working hours per week.

Additionally, Naughty Dog increased the number of in-office workdays from three to five, which prompted some employees to struggle with childcare and pet care arrangements.

The teaser trailer.

The issue of crunch is not new to Naughty Dog; the team experienced similar challenges during the production of  The Last of Us Part II. Following the release of that game, the company formed a new team of producers to alleviate the workload for its employees. However, according to sources cited by Schreier, many of those producers have since left the studio.

For several years, Naughty Dog managed to avoid significant overtime, but that changed in 2024, as the studio prepared a trailer for The Heretic Prophet set to premiere at The Game Awards. The game is scheduled for release in mid-2027, and some employees are concerned that the crunch may intensify over time.

Fortunately, for most team members, the mandatory overtime period concluded this week as work on the demo wrapped up. Management has promised to revert to a regular schedule with three office days by the end of January. A schedule for 2026 will be announced after the holiday season.

Earlier this year, the creators of Intergalactic were gifted metal coins featuring the Naughty Dog logo and a quote from the game’s trailer: «The suffering of generations must be overcome to achieve our divine purpose.» As noted by Schreier, these words aptly capture the current workplace culture at the studio.