Former Naughty Dog Developer Says Studio Learned From The Last of Us That “Crunch is a Requirement”

Naughty Dog, the acclaimed game studio known for titles like The Last of Us and Uncharted, and currently developing Intergalactic, has a history of requiring employees to work long hours – often called ‘crunch’ – to finish games. Benson Russell, a former senior game designer at the studio, recently discussed on the Kiwi Talkz podcast how Naughty Dog seemed to misunderstand the benefits – or lack thereof – of this intense work practice.

He explained that developers will often create their own deadlines and stick to them as if they were imposed by an outside source. This is when they realize the project is falling behind schedule. He used the example of Sony potentially stepping in after a long period – perhaps three years – and asking what’s happening with the project, given the significant investment already made.

According to Russell, the studio realized after working on The Last of Us that intense crunch time was necessary to create games of their quality. He described a meeting where they openly admitted, ‘We’ve learned that this level of work is simply what it takes to make games like ours.’

If you’re not comfortable with this request, we completely understand and will still provide a strong letter of recommendation. The company operates according to its own standards – you’re either on board with that or you’re not. It’s not illegal or mandatory; it’s simply a request for assistance. Contributing will be rewarded with larger bonuses, so there’s a clear benefit to participating.

A significant report from 2020 highlighted the demanding work environment at the company. Journalist Jason Schreier, writing for Kotaku, interviewed numerous current and former Naughty Dog employees (who wished to remain anonymous) and found that long hours and frequent overtime were still common.

“This can’t be something that’s continuing over and over for each game, because it is unsustainable,” said one developer working on The Last of Us Part 2. “At a certain point, you realize, ‘I can’t keep doing this. I’m getting older. I can’t stay and work all night.’”

Another former Naughty Dog employee said the company does offer support, like meals and reminders to take breaks. However, the overall message was that finishing the work was the top priority, no matter what it took.

Reports of demanding work conditions – often called ‘crunch’ – at Naughty Dog aren’t new. The company faced criticism for this back in 2011, after the release of Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception. Amy Hennig, the game’s creative director, described it as the most challenging experience of her career. Josh Scherr, who led animation, also noted the intense workload, explaining that while extra hours are common in game development, the sheer scale and ambition of this particular game meant there was still a massive amount of work to do, even after the team had scaled back some features, and within a very tight timeframe.

The game Intergalactic is being made only for the PlayStation 5. Although there’s no confirmed release date yet, sources suggest Naughty Dog is targeting a release around the middle of 2027.

Following the release of The Last of Us, Naughty Dog openly acknowledged that intense periods of overtime – often called ‘crunch’ – are necessary to create games of their quality, and they stopped trying to avoid it. Consequently, crunch has become increasingly severe with each subsequent project, and this explains…

— Reece “Kiwi Talkz” Reilly (@kiwitalkz) April 13, 2026

2026-04-13 17:41

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