Crunch is one of the most infamous elements in the video game industry. Cases like Naughty Dog, Rockstar and CD Projekt Red have given him more exposure to this issue. However, this is not something new. Recently, Retro Studios developer Mike Wikan revealed that the study suffered from crunch during the development of Metroid Prime, but Nintendo solved this problem.
In a talk at the Kiwi Talkz podcast, Wikan mentioned that for nine months he was working non-stop, with 36-hour sessions in the office, and even a couple of days without rest. However, once Nintendo acquired the studio, the directive was changed, and crunch was no longer an issue for subsequent Metroid Prime installments. This was what Wikan commented on the matter
“The crunch on Metroid Prime was real. In Metroid Prime 2 and 3 it was not. After Metroid Prime 1, we rarely did. We had a leadership change between Metroid Prime 1 and 2.
We had a bit of a crisis, but it wasn’t like the nine-month death march at the end of Prime 1. That was the worst of it.
I had two moments where I was there 48 hours straight with an hour of sleep, and then a couple of 36 hour days. For the last nine months we have been there practically 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, working on the game.
At the end of that time, everyone was willing to stop working. We think, ‘We’re done.’ He had two job offers from two different companies, and to his credit, Nintendo realized what was happening. He went in, took over the company, and bought it. They put Michael Kelbaugh in charge. It’s a really good love. He was head of the quality control department at Nintendo. He said, ‘Guys, give me a few weeks to turn it around.’ And he did.
It restored faith in leadership and company. I loved working for Nintendo. “
Nintendo has shown several times that crunch is not a fundamental thing for them. Let us remember that originally Animal Crossing: New Horizon was going to come out at the end of 2019, and thus avoid this practice. However, the game was delayed until March 2020. Although at the time this decision caused the company’s shares to fall, the final result favored the Big N.
In related topics, the Nintendo DS was a trend a few days ago, and here we tell you why. Similarly, the company has confirmed that it will not attend TGS 2021.
Via: Nintendo Everything