It seems that not all went well over at Rockstar for the developers of the hit game “Red Dead Redemption“. The Rockstar San Diego based studio has downsized the team by 40 employees, down from 180 employees. Kotaku has reported that they have significant sources to suggest that Rockstar has let go of these employees only a few months after the release of Red Dead Redemption.
Kotaku has reported this from Steve Martin, Studio Manager, at Rockstar San Diego Studio:
“As is typical with game development, our team sizes have always fluctuated over the course of the development cycle. As Rockstar San Diego transitions from the launch of Red Dead Redemption onto future projects, we are realigning our resources in order to continue to develop games as effectively as possible. We are ensuring that all employees who are affected by these changes are being treated with care. While we have no announcements to make regarding a sequel to Red Dead Redemption, the team here are hard at work on the development of downloadable content for the game.”
It seems the employees were not happy with the working conditions at the studio. Perhaps from countless hours of working on the game due to the late release of Red Dead Redemption. The game was to be originally released for the Fall of 2009. Kotaku had this to report:
“Between the game’s announcement and its completion, Rockstar San Diego employees alleged unfair working conditions at the studio, comparing the company’s New York headquarters to the “Eye of Sauron“, an accusation that the company said it was saddened (but appeared amused) by.”
