Wardogs boss issues new statement after crunch hiring backlash

Bulkhead chief executive Joe Brammer has issued a follow-up statement addressing his studio's working culture after backlash over his comments on crunch.

Brammer leads Bulkhead, the developer of Wardogs. The studio previously developed The Turing Test and Battalion 1944. He discussed crunch, the industry term for extended overtime to meet a deadline, in an interview with The Game Business Eurogamer.

In that interview, Brammer said Bulkhead checks job applicants' social media and does not hire people who constantly post anti-crunch messaging. He said people who speak publicly against crunch "often don't make it in the door" at the studio Game Developer. He put it more bluntly elsewhere in the discussion: "You're not going to be happy here, so we're not going to go with you" Kotaku.

Brammer also said he expects Bulkhead staff to crunch when necessary and that he does not believe in work from home for making video games. He described Bulkhead as a place for people who want to work hard. "This is a place you come to work hard," he said IGN. He added: "If you care about what you're making, this is the place to work" Yahoo.

The response drew swift criticism. After the backlash, Brammer posted on X saying coverage had taken his comments out of context. He disputed the description of crunch at Bulkhead as mandatory.

He then issued a follow-up statement to Eurogamer. In it, he described his social-media screening remark as speaking informally about Bulkhead's culture Eurogamer.

Brammer also set out measures he said the studio had used during development. He said Bulkhead operated on a four-day work week for half of the game's development time. He said 80 percent of Bulkhead shares are owned by 50 percent of staff, and that everyone at the company was given the month of December off work.

For players, this matters because it concerns the team behind a high-profile release. Wardogs has sold 2 million units, with Brammer telling interviewers: "We're not transparent and we're not honest" VGC. Bulkhead states it was named one of the UK's "Best Places to Work" by GamesIndustry.biz for two years in a row.