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Star Citizen Developer Cloud Imperium Games Imposes 7-Day Work Week Ahead of Citizencon

Cloud Imperium Games, the developer of Star Citizen, has mandated its developers to work seven days a week to meet deadlines for Citizencon on October 19th.

An internal email sent to staff yesterday states that the company needs to “double down over the next 18 days to make sure that once again we create an amazing experience for our community.” This includes finalizing patch 3.24.2 for Star Citizen and having a Squadron 42 demo showcase for Chapter 1.

The email later continues, “This means for the next two weekends we will be mandating extra time for all those working on deliverables for Citcon.”

The company mandate states:

  • All staff are to be in the office on Friday, October 4th and Friday, October 11th (typically a work-at-home day)
  • All staff are to be in the office on Saturday, October 5th, and Saturday, October 12th (for these days, the company will provide breakfast and lunch, with staff receiving company TOIL (time off in lieu) which can be stored and used for time off at a later date)
  • All staff are to work on Sunday, October 6th, and Sunday, October 13th (this can be a work-at-home day, but the company “encourages” people to be in the office. For these days and for those in the office, the company will provide breakfast and lunch, with staff receiving company TOIL, which can be stored and used for time off at a later date)

Insider Gaming understands that the recent mandate is the latest in a slew of ridiculous requirements imposed on its developers due to mismanagement, leading to some leaving the company entirely.

Another internal email sent to Insider Gaming in July 2024 reveals that Cloud Imperium Games “pre-approved” 12 hours of ‘SQ42 TOIL’ per week for developers to meet Citizencon deadlines. The catch? The TOIL will only be made available after Squadron 42 ships, and employees must still be employed with the company by the time the game ships, or the TOIL “will be forfeited.”

The email continues that UK employees “need to be mindful of the hours they work and are asked to have 11 hours outside of work in each 24-hour period.”

Insider Gaming contacted Cloud Imperium Games ahead of publication and received acknowledgment but no comment on the matter.

However, 11 minutes after we reached out, another internal email to staff read,

“I want to really thank everyone who will be putting extra time over the next two weeks, it will really make a difference at Citizencon, as we will show our very best.

“To show our appreciation, all those who will in the trenches with us over the next couple of weekends, can have Monday 21st October on the company as a free holiday.

“This hopefully will give a little break for everyone to rest after our long Citizencon weekend and the drive towards it”

As of May 2024, Star Citizen has raised over $700 million in crowdfunding.

Employee’s at Cloud Imperium Games can contact me securely and anonymously at [email protected] as I continue to investigate the issues at the company.

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J
J1mb0w

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84 messages 108 likes
#1 Oct 02, 2024

I get that there will be some that have issue with this. Most people that work will have or will at some point be in a situation like this. At least there seems to be some benefits from it like the day in Lieu.

I've worked in the communications industry and I know its a different scenario but when storms are rolling in time off is cut. You gotta do what you gotta do at times when you are employed by someone.

The gamin industry seems to be one im glad I wasnt a part of though other than to play games.

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LiterallyLenin

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1 messages 0 likes
#2 Oct 03, 2024

If you work for this company and have worked there for 2 years or more, take your employer to tribunal. This is literally breaking UK law.

Working Time Regulations guarantee employees additional weekly rest periods. These can be either 24 consecutive uninterrupted hours for each 7-day period or 48 uninterrupted hours for each 14-day period.

You can get this changed but it can only be changed via an elected employee representative in a collective workforce agreement which I sincerely doubt they have.

At an individual level you can opt out of the maximum working hours component which stipulates nobody can work more than 48hours per week on average (over a 17 week period). But you can not opt out of the rest of the Working Time Regulations on an individual basis. Your employer can't force you to sign this either or punish you for refusing to opt out.

Any employees at this company who have worked there for more than 2 years are entitled to take this to workplace tribunal, which they would win. Once the new laws come in this will apply to all employees of any amount of time worked at the company because they're removing the 2 year requirement to take employer's to tribunal as it's used to abuse newer employees.

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pelican2097

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4 messages 6 likes
#3 Oct 03, 2024

Don't see this as a big thing.

I've been a PM for years in the finance industry, and sometimes extra time is required. Time is given back. It is only 2 weekends.

At one point my flexi time was at 100hrs+, due to the project and travel. I got it all back and enjoyed a few weeks off afterwards.

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J
J1mb0w

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84 messages 108 likes
#4 Oct 03, 2024

Any employees at this company who have worked there for more than 2 years are entitled to take this to workplace tribunal, which they would win.

Id guess anyone that does that would immediately be in the crosshairs of the higher ups and unfortunately for said employee be a dead man (or woman) walking within that company.

As long as its not an ongoing thing and as this time seems to be just for a few weeks my advice, not that it means a thing, would be to suck it up make some extra money and get those few extra holidays.

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HexTheVoid

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139 messages 142 likes
#5 Oct 03, 2024

I used to be a game developer when i was younger.

Not so much nowdays (it's probably a really good jo if you are an executive whomever)

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Avatar of Faultandfracture
Faultandfracture

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57 messages 39 likes
#6 Oct 03, 2024

I was a web designer/web developer making ecommerce sites and would regularly do this 2 or 3 times per year to finish a project. At least they are giving you the time back and buying you breakfast and lunch, which is more than I got.

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Godseyemode

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28 messages 25 likes
#7 Oct 03, 2024

its 2024 . companies are lucky if we work a full 5 days. let alone 7 lol. they are not doctors, or firefighters etc lol . not the important.

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h
huene69

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1 messages 0 likes
#8 Oct 04, 2024

CIG also employs developers in Germany; these regulations are not compatible with the German Labour Protection Act. Especially not their interpretation of when time off in lieu may be taken. In Luxembourg, such announcements would be immoral and the state would immediately prosecute those responsible.

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GiGAHEART

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255 messages 334 likes
#9 Oct 04, 2024

Cloud Imperium Games, the developer of Star Citizen, has mandated its developers to work seven days a week to meet deadlines for Citizencon on October 19th.

Read the full article here...

This game fascinates me for multiple reasons, positively & negatively.

In a nutshell of my feelings for it, it's the most expensive game ever conceived budgetwise but for like a decade now it's not yet done?

I've seen some guys say it's a scam or money laundering, etc who knows but I don't know at some point you gotta release a FINAL WORKING VIDEOGAME on disc right?

Interesting nobody has filed lawsuits to these guys or government guys have intervened...

At least not yet.

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