God of War creator David Jaffe has said that he hopes God of War Ragnarok developers are “crunching like motherf***ers” ahead of the game’s November 2022 launch, insisting “that’s how greatness gets made.”
Jaffe’s controversial comment was made in response to a tweet from G4 host Indiana “Frosk” Black, who tweeted that she hoped developers weren’t crunching to meet its newly revealed November release date. Jaffe, who directed the first two God of War games on PS2, chimed in to say that in the final two months before release, he wants “every bit of spit, polish, and love” that developers can “convince” the producing team to put in.
Jaffe wants ‘every bit of spit’ put into God of War Ragnarok
I hope they ARE crunching like motherfuckers.I hope it's not been a constant crunch.But these last 2 months or so,before the doors slam shut? I want them to get every bit of spit,polish,+love they can convince the producing team to let them put in. That's how greatness gets made. https://t.co/2nw6DTc2de
— David Jaffe (@davidscottjaffe) July 7, 2022
Crunch in gaming has been widely criticized, after a number of reports outlined the extremely tough working conditions put upon developers in order to get a game to hit its release date. Rockstar Games was one such example, after a report from Kotaku illustrated how employees worked long hours in order to get Red Dead Redemption 2 to store shelves.
Jaffe replied to a response branding his view on game development “outdated,” saying that it’s “not for everyone” but that he wants to make a “best in breed product.”
Going the extra mile to compete and be the very best you can be will never be outdated. Go home at 5pm every night if you want to but for me- be it when I was in games or now that I'm streaming- I WANT to make best in breed product. It's not for everyone. Totally fair.
— David Jaffe (@davidscottjaffe) July 7, 2022
God of War Ragnarok producer Cory Barlog also previously replied to Black’s concerns, saying that the date was chosen as the best result for both the team and the series’ fans.
I feel like we thought a lot about what date is best and chose the best date for the team, the game and the fans.
— golrab of the frost (@corybarlog) July 7, 2022
In the wake of the reports surrounding Rockstar and other developers’ difficult working conditions, several studios outright revealed that their games weren’t produced with crunch. Several Insomniac Games team members revealed that the development of PS5 exclusive Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart didn’t employ crunch at all, with designer Grant Parker noting: “It is possible to work on a great game w/o suffering.”
In other news, the viral toybox FPS Hypercharge: Unboxed’s developers called out fans’ toxic online abuse. A new Splatoon 3-themed Nintendo Switch OLED was also revealed.
