Naughty Dog has reportedly mandated crunch for Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet demo ahead of internal Sony review

It has been claimed that Naughty Dog developers have been subjected to mandatory overtime in order to complete an internal demo of Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet for Sony to review, after the project missed multiple development deadlines.

The details:

• According to Bloomberg, the mandatory overtime began in late October and lasted approximately seven weeks. It’s claimed that developers were required to work a minimum of eight additional hours per week, with their hours tracked in an internal spreadsheet. The crunch was implemented to help the studio catch up on missed deadlines and prepare the demo for Sony's review of the project.
• Staff members were reportedly prohibited from working more than 60 hours per week in order to avoid overwork, though the mandatory overtime requirement remained in effect throughout the seven-week period. In addition to the mandatory overtime, developers were required to work from the office five days a week rather than the previous three-day hybrid arrangement.
• This is not the first time that Naughty Dog’s developers have been subject to crunch time, with the development of The Last of Us and the Uncharted series also requiring additional work hours to complete. In 2024, studio head Neil Druckmann stated that the company's goal was to "eliminate crunch," though some of the producers specifically hired to alleviate workload have reportedly since left the company.