Naughty Dog Reportedly Enforces Mandatory Overtime on Intergalactic The Heretic Prophet

Naughty Dog is once again under scrutiny following a new report suggesting the studio has already begun enforcing mandatory overtime on its next major project, Intergalactic The Heretic Prophet. According to a report by Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, the studio has required staff to work extended hours to prepare an internal demo, despite the game still being years away from release.

Intergalactic The Heretic Prophet marks Naughty Dog’s first entirely new franchise in more than a decade. While anticipation around the project is high, Schreier’s reporting indicates that the current overtime is not related to a public showcase or player facing demo. Instead, employees familiar with the situation state that the build was created for an internal milestone review with Sony Interactive Entertainment. Those sources spoke anonymously, as they were not authorized to discuss internal studio matters publicly.

Mandatory overtime reportedly began in late October and continued for several weeks. During this period, developers were asked to work an additional eight hours per week, with an upper limit of sixty hours total per week. In addition to longer work hours, staff were also instructed to return to the office full time, shifting from a three day in office schedule to five days per week for the duration of the mandate.

Schreier previously reported that Intergalactic The Heretic Prophet is currently targeting a mid twenty twenty seven release window. That timeline makes the early introduction of mandated overtime particularly concerning for employees, who reportedly worry about what this signals for the later stages of development as the project approaches launch.

Crunch culture has long been associated with Naughty Dog, particularly during the development of past releases. While excessive overtime has been a persistent issue across the triple A games industry, Naughty Dog has often been cited as a prominent example. In recent years, public backlash toward studios and leadership teams that normalize crunch has pushed many developers to publicly commit to healthier work practices. For Naughty Dog, those decisions ultimately fall under studio head Neil Druckmann, whose leadership has previously been criticized by both developers and players.

According to the Bloomberg report, the current overtime requirement has ended for most of the studio as of this week. Naughty Dog is expected to return to its previous work schedule in January, with a new development plan to be communicated following the studio’s holiday break. What that next phase will look like remains unclear, particularly for employees concerned that similar mandates could return later in production.

While extended polishing phases are a normal part of game development, they are typically expected much closer to release. Implementing mandatory overtime this early raises questions about long term production planning and whether the studio can realistically avoid repeating these practices as deadlines draw nearer. For a project still several years away, the decision has already reignited broader concerns about sustainability and labor practices within one of Sony’s most prestigious studios.

Do you think early crunch like this signals deeper development issues, or is it an unavoidable reality for large scale triple A projects?