Horizon Forbidden West Postpone to Avoid a Crunch: Crunch is always a significant work-related issue when it comes to video games. However, in recent years, crunch is becoming a more visible and well-known issue. With how badly crunch affects employees and the involved developers.
It is now a known fact that Horizon Forbidden West could be facing a similar fate. However, I was fortunate to avoid it.
It is true that delays are advantageous for various reasons and lead to an item of higher quality for players.
However, crunch a term use to describe a long period. That has compressed into a limited time frame to make the game. And can detrimental to players and employees and the game’s quality.
Interview with NU.nl, Horizon Forbidden West‘s Game Director Mathijs de Jonge shed details on this issue and discussed why crunch was not allowed during the Guerrilla Games.
The interview covers the general concepts and themes from Horizon Forbidden West and also Guerrilla’s conscious choice not to depict Aloy in a sexually explicit way.
Horizon Forbidden West Postpone to Avoid a Crunch
The interview ends with a discussion of the extent to which “companies are constantly performing overtime.” Director de Jonge replies to this question by stating, ” Forbidden West might be released by the final year’s end. However, we may have needed to do overtime.”
This proves that de Jonge and Guerrilla had no plans to burden. Its development team with extra work and the adverse effects of crunch. They mention how unfriendly Guerrilla is against crunching. This is why the company shut for two weeks during Christmas. And “you could not even get in to do work.”
De Jonge also states that everybody “should also able to unwind. And enjoy a holiday” so that they can “be with friends and family”. This isn’t the first time crunch has decried, and the importance of people’s well-being emphasize.
Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price recently discussed Marvel’s Spider-Man having modified its Doctor Octopus boss fight to accommodate crunch, which required extensive structural changes to accomplish within such a short amount of time.
This will surely be a relief to players concerned about the quality Horizon Forbidden West will display on PS4 or PS5. Avoiding stress can benefit both gamers and developers alike.
Horizon Forbidden West is out for download on PS4 along with PS5.