Today, the phenomenon of "crunch" (overworking) is well known as one of the main problems in the gaming industry, when developers are forced to work overtime under constant stress to finish a project on time. However, this is by no means a modern invention — a similar practice existed even during the creation of classic games, such as Super Metroid.
Yoshio Sakamoto's memories
Super Metroid game director Yoshio Sakamoto recalled the difficulties the team faced during development. In an interview that recently resurfaced thanks to the publication Games Radar, Sakamoto detailed the long working hours and the fact that employees sometimes did not even have time to go home to sleep.
"It got to the point where I didn't remember how I got home at all! We had a sleeping room where we could take a break, but sometimes it was completely packed [with overworked Super Metroid developers]. Those were the worst times: I wanted to sleep, but couldn't, and there was simply no time left to commute home!" Sakamoto shares.
Working conditions and management's reaction
According to the director, the conditions in the office left much to be desired:
- There were always 10 to 15 people in the office at night, so they had to take turns sleeping.
- Nobody cleaned the sleeping room because it was constantly in use.
- One morning, employees from another department complained that the room smelled like a zoo.
- An attempt to use an air freshener only made the situation worse, drawing surprised looks from the rest of the Nintendo staff.
Interestingly, the game's producer, Gunpei Yokoi, was not thrilled with the team's long shifts. According to Sakamoto, he would come and scold them for it, once even exclaiming: "Are you trying to create a work of art or something?".
It is sad to realize that developers feel the need to exhaust themselves in order to achieve their goals. However, if looking for a silver lining in this — at least thanks to these sacrifices, the world saw the legendary Super Metroid.
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