Homeworld 3 developers begin implementing four-day-a-week mode

According to the Washington Post, foreign game developer Blackbird Interactive has been conducting an experiment for the past three months to see if a four-day workweek model is feasible. The attempt was generally welcomed by studio developers. Now the studio has officially shifted to working from Monday to Thursday.

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Blackbird is just the latest of many game studios around the world that have begun to reconsider the efficiency of standard work patterns under the influence of the new crown epidemic. Some studios, like forget-me-not developer Dontnod, have opted to pursue a permanent work-from-home strategy; others, like Blackbird, have cut one day off the workweek.

However, this shift is more common among some relatively small indie studios. In 2020, Berlin-based developer Crows Crows Crows switched to a four-day-a-week work model after bouncing tickets for The Stanley Parable: Ultimate Deluxe Edition. In 2021, before Boyfriend’s Dungeon hits the market, developer Kitfox Games is also testing a four-day-a-week working model and eventually moving to a permanent implementation. In September last year, the eight-person studio Young Horses, which made “Bug Fast Food,” cut its workweek to 32 hours. The same goes for Outerloop, which is developing its new title, Thirsty Suitors.

In addition, there are also large studios that have adopted this model. Last October, Eidos Montreal, which produced the Deus Ex series, started a four-week-a-week model.

Blackbird solicited opinions from 51 employees before and after the trial, and the results were of course full of praise for the four-day-a-week model, with 89% of employees saying they felt an overall improvement in their physical health, and 90% saying this The model is conducive to employee retention, with 91% of employees saying it is more conducive to work-life balance. Finally, 100% of employees prefer this new work model.

However, if the game’s launch date is approaching, will the developers who usually have one day fewer workdays feel resistant to working overtime?

Katie Findlay, director of operations at Blackbird, answered the question, saying: “The most critical thing is that our leadership, whether it’s studio leadership or team leadership, has to lead by example. If managers and producers start responding to emails on Friday to get involved If so, then the lower-level programmers should feel that they have to start working overtime. So the problem still lies with our leaders, they have to abide by the rules of the work model.”

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