Rockstar employees have been requested to return to the office five days a week as GTA 6 reaches its last phase of development.
According to a Bloomberg report, Jenn Kolbe, Head of Publishing at Rockstar, wrote a letter to all staff members “asking” them to come back to the office (5 days a week) during the final few months of development on the much-awaited game. The decision, made for security and productivity reasons, aims to address recent security breaches, including leaks of early footage and an early trailer for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 title.
Kolbe wrote: “Making these changes now puts us in the best position to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it requires, along with a publishing roadmap that matches the scale and ambition of the game.”
The return-to-office mandate, scheduled for April, has sparked discontent among staff, raising concerns amid the ongoing discussions about remote work and pandemic-related adjustments.
Naturally, mandates to return to the office have gained traction in a number of businesses since the pandemic drove numerous staff members to work from home. However, it is to be noted that even though many businesses have recently requested that employees come into the office two or three days a week, research conducted last month indicated that productivity was unaffected by remote work.
During the peak of the pandemic, companies worldwide adapted to remote work and for many game industry workers, the shift involved taking work computers home and ensuring secure online connectivity. However, Rockstar’s unique position, possibly linked to the final phases of GTA 6’s development, has led to the decision to bring employees back into the office. The move, communicated through an email from Kolbe, emphasizes the importance of achieving the desired quality and polish for the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game.
Also, Rockstar has legitimate grounds for claiming that they must tighten security. In 2022, Rockstar was the target of a well-publicized hack in which more than ninety pictures and videos demonstrating development on the GTA 6 that had not yet been revealed were posted online. Moreover, the GTA 6 trailer also leaked online last year, prompting the studio to release the first official one ahead of time.
Well, looking ahead, Grand Theft Auto 6, slated for release in 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, remains a focal point, with the company’s focus on security and productivity shaping its approach to the final stages of development. Also, Rockstar is to be appreciated for its ability to maintain a stable workforce setting it apart from some companies that faced layoffs.
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