Metroid Prime has emerged with a lot of crunch

There is probably hardly a studio that is not affected by Crunch. The Metroid Prime makers are no exception.

If crunch is reported in the video game industry, so extreme phases in which all including private life is subordinate to a deadline, it is usually about the big negative cases. In recent years, especially companies such as CD project Red, Rockstar Games and Naughty Dog are thus found in the headlines. But not only western studios are affected. Thus, among other things, Platinum Games had had to fight for the Wii U for the completion of The Wonderful 101 for the Wii u.

Other corporations, such as Microsoft and Insomniac Games, had also struggled with this circumstance in the past, but work purposefully. Thus, both psychonauts 2 as well as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart will be governed without significant crunch phases. But what about Nintendo and his studios? The Japanese company has not yet noticed crunch reports yet, at least not in the recent past. That that was different, now has the former Senior Game Designer of the Metroid Prime developer Retro Studios, Mike Vikal, in the interview in Reece Reilly's Kiwi Talkz Podcast.

The beginnings at Retro Studios had been quite bumpy and, especially during the completion of Metroid Prime for the Gamecube, it came to an extreme crunch phase. The staff worked partially up to two days in a piece with just one hour of sleep. Also 36-hour days were no exception and within the last nine months before release are the staff, so synonymous, so synonymous, because of course did not go home.

But after the release of Metroid Prime there was a change of management and the former head of Nintendos Qa Department, Michael Kelbaudh, was used as CEO. Since then, these extreme working conditions have probably largely adopted. Although Metroid Prime 2: Echoes have given some stressful periods, but they should not have been comparable to the previous ones. As it looks like Retro Studios, it is difficult to say. Wikikan has not worked there for several years, but Kelbaugh continues to be boss of the studio and probably continues his closed course.

By the way: An interesting detail made Mike Wikikan also elicited. The Metroid Prime Trilogy, which has appeared more than ten years ago for the Wii, was realized by only four people. These four employees were parked extra and have managed to install the new control schemes and press the three games on a disc.