Bulkhead studio head Joe Brammer has found himself at the center of a public scandal after discussing the company’s internal culture, overtime practices during the development of successful shooter Wardogs, and its hiring methods in a candid interview.
The developer later issued a statement to Eurogamer, clarifying that the recent four-week overtime was entirely voluntary and that checking candidates’ public profiles was simply a way to assess cultural fit, rather than a hard-core surveillance tool.
Amid record sales war dogs (2 million copies in the first five days), the studio faced mixed reactions from the gaming community and professional media. While Brammer openly admits to working overtime to meet development deadlines, he also emphasizes the company’s commitment to rewarding teams with generous bonuses, equity allocations and efforts to implement unconventional initiatives such as shorter work weeks.