August 28, 2024 Spiders has provided PCGamesN with a statement regarding the open letter penned by its employees. This article has been updated to reflect that.
Workers from Greedfall 2 developer Spiders have released an open letter criticizing the company’s management, calling for strike action, and voicing concerns over the development of the upcoming fantasy RPG. Set to launch in early access in just four weeks time, the letter describes work on the game as “painful” and that the project feels like it’s “underwater.”
With a new combat system, striking visuals, and a highly-customizable skills system, there’s been a lot of intrigue around Greedfall 2. While the RPG sequel has generated plenty of interest, this new open letter from the people working the game suggests that it has had a shaky development.
“The early access release is painful, as attested by the several delays it suffered, and the complete release of the game less than a year later seems difficult to achieve, as there is so much left to do,” the letter reads. While there has been no public shifting of dates or acknowledgement of an internal delay, the letter suggests that early access should have arrived much sooner than its current September 24 date. Another line in the letter says that the early access launch was “postponed several times.”
On Greedfall 2’s full release, there has also not been a public confirmation from Spiders or Nacon that a full release date would arrive a year after early access, so this appears to be an internal target that the employees are referring to.
“The production is underwater, accumulating burnouts and other psycho-social risk factors, and the workers fear they won’t be able to be proud of their work when the game is released,” the letter also claims. “Many people have left Spiders during the production, and others have no intention of staying after the game’s release.”
It is also alleged that “Greedfall 2’s budget was reworked multiple times” throughout development.
There are also a lot of much broader issues raised in the letter that go beyond just the development of Greedfall 2, which touch on working conditions, high staff turnover, poor handling of the growth in workforce over recent years, and a general lack of transparency and direction.
“Neither the company’s nor Nacon’s ambitions for the studio have ever been made clear. We don’t know what our studio’s general strategy is, or even if there is one,” the letter says. You can read it in full here.
The employees that penned the letter say that a strike is planned for next week, beginning on Monday, September 2. On September 2 and September 3, pickets will be held outside of Spiders’ offices and virtually on a Minecraft server.
Spiders has now addressed the claims made in the letter in a statement provided to PCGamesN. It reads:
“The Union of Video Game Workers (Syndicat des Travailleurs (ses) du Jeu Vidéo) has publicly relayed allegations concerning the working environment at Spiders. The false and even defamatory accusations made by the STJV in no way reflect the reality of the day-to-day working life of the company’s employees and are an attack on the reputation of the studio, whose teams are fully mobilized to produce quality games and enthusiastically ensure the Early Access release of GreedFall 2.
“Spiders’ management is committed to open and constructive social dialogue. After unsuccessful attempts over the last few days to meet with a delegation of employees, they have proposed a meeting again by the end of the week.
“Spiders’ employees are the heart of the studio, and we are determined to maintain an inclusive and stimulating working environment in which every talent can flourish and of which we can all be proud.”