Naughty Dog Reportedly Stopped Trying to Mitigate Crunch After The Last of Us

A former Naughty Dog developer has revealed that the studio now views crunch as an inevitable byproduct of maintaining its high quality standards. Crunch—a practice in which developers are either required or feel pressured to work extreme hours to meet deadlines—has long been a contentious issue across the gaming industry, and it shows no signs of abating.

According to an insider, crunch has become especially pervasive at Naughty Dog because leadership has effectively accepted it as unavoidable. The Sony-owned studio behind Uncharted and The Last of Us is not alone in drawing criticism for mandatory overtime. However, it has become closely associated with the practice following multiple high-profile instances—including recent reports that the Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet team had already begun crunching despite the game being over a year away from its anticipated release.

Leadership’s Shift in Perspective

Besnon Russell, formerly a senior game designer at Naughty Dog, disclosed on the Kiwi Talkz podcast that the studio ceased active efforts to mitigate crunch after repeated failures—particularly following the development of The Last of Us. Russell explained that internal discussions about preventing crunch eventually gave way to leadership acknowledging, “This is what it takes to make games to our level.” While Naughty Dog maintains a strong reputation for delivering critically acclaimed titles, this mindset implies that extreme overtime is considered essential to sustaining that standard.

Internal Deadlines and External Pressures

Russell also noted that premature crunch—such as that observed on Intergalactic—often stems from treating internal milestones with the same urgency as external deadlines. Though this approach may help keep projects on schedule, it intensifies pressure early in development and encourages overtime well before launch. He further suggested that Sony’s oversight could contribute: given Naughty Dog’s multi-year development cycles and substantial budgets, Sony leadership may grow increasingly anxious to see tangible progress after prolonged investment.

Culture, Incentives, and Exceptions

Russell emphasized that he holds no animosity toward Naughty Dog regarding this issue. He stated the studio respects employees who choose to leave rather than participate in the crunch culture. Importantly, he clarified that while overtime is not formally mandated, it is strongly incentivized—bonuses are directly tied to individual contribution levels, effectively rewarding extended hours.

Still, crunch does not appear uniformly across all Naughty Dog projects. Another developer confirmed that The Last of Us Part I (2022) was completed without crunch—a notable exception that underscores the variability in how the studio manages development intensity.

Ongoing Controversy and Future Implications

Crunch remains a deeply divisive topic, and Naughty Dog’s reported stance is unlikely to satisfy critics or advocates for sustainable development practices. If Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet proves to be the studio’s most expensive project to date—as co-president Neil Druckmann has indicated—it may amplify pressure to accelerate progress, further entrenching crunch as a default expectation. While the full scope of the game’s development challenges won’t be fully apparent until closer to or even after release, current indications suggest that crunch at Naughty Dog remains entrenched—and shows little sign of diminishing.