Following allegations that he fosters an unhealthy “crunch” culture at his studio, Wardogs lead developer Joe Brammer has spoken out and refuted the media reports.
Update from September 17, 2026:
Bulkhead studio head Joe Brammer has since responded to media reports about his statements on crunch culture in the gaming industry. On Twitter, Brammer stated that the allegations were completely unfounded and that the relevant statements had been taken out of context from an interview.
I’m not going to get into a public debate about this, or any other of these out-of-context articles. But here are the facts.
– No information says it’s mandatory; they made that up
– 80% of the shares in Bulkhead are owned by 50% of the staff
– For 50% of development, we ran a 4… https://t.co/fTX2feWCyC
— Joe Brammer (@Brammflakes) September 16, 2026
In his statement, Brammer emphasized that he never said that crunch (mandatory overtime) was required at his studio. At Bulkhead, they actively try to avoid such periods and even maintained a four-day workweek for a long time during the development of Wardogs. Nevertheless, according to the CEO, work-intensive periods cannot always be avoided.
Social Media Screening Drew Criticism
The Wardogs studio head had mentioned during an interview with TheGame Business Show that he checks applicants’ social media profiles during the hiring process. If someone were to actively speak out against crunch there, they would not be hired at Bulkhead. In the interview, Brammer said, verbatim: I also expect people to crunch. I stand by that and don’t try to hide it.
Among others, PC Gamer reports critically.
Brammer has now emphasized that these statements refer more to the general corporate culture and do not reflect the day-to-day operations at Bulkhead. He said he needs people who are willing to work hard. However, during the studio’s most recent crunch period, he gave his employees the choice of whether or not to participate.
Original report from September 16, 2026:
The gaming industry is repeatedly criticized for its “crunch” culture. Behind this lies excessive overtime, which usually affects the entire company and often intensifies ahead of major releases. Many developers state that they regularly take steps to curb or entirely avoid these periods of intense overtime.
Not so for Bulkhead, as the head of the development team behind the recent Steam hit Wardogs explained in an interview. For him, it’s clear that at his studio, “everyone has to work hard.” That’s why potential employees who have a problem with crunch “often don’t even make it through the door,” according to Brammer. He says they simply don’t fit into the team.
However, he also makes it clear that he consciously strives to strike a balance between crunch and quieter development phases. The full interview with Joe Brammer is available on YouTube at The Game Business (via IGN).
Crunch periods alternate with quiet times
In it, he argues that there are phases in which overtime is the norm, but also makes it clear that this isn’t a permanent state of affairs:
Over the past three months, Wardogs has been much more important than much of their family life. That’s because it’s how they make their money. But now Bulkhead has to realize that things need to go in the other direction. For example, everyone is pushing us to release the console version sooner. We just said, “No, you don’t understand—it’s not going to work that way.”
We can’t put any more pressure on them. We’re not doing that. It’ll be released in 2028, when we say it’s going to be released. So for me, it’s about balance and helping people, and making sure they have a company where they can say, “I’m giving up,” without feeling like they’ll get fired for giving up.
Nevertheless, the team is currently facing challenges because, according to Brammer, employees are getting older and, for example, want to start families. Originally, they offered 10 weeks of paternity leave, but that ultimately had to be canceled because the employees’ partners struggled with the situation when the employees returned to work as usual. Now, the situation is being addressed with two weeks of vacation and the option to work part-time on a transitional basis afterward.
“Anyone who doesn’t want to work overtime isn’t a good fit for us”
According to Brammer, the company also ensures during the hiring process that prospective employees align with the studio’s philosophy and have not actively spoken out against “crunch” in the industry:
Many people who have a problem with crunch—and rightly so; I understand that, and we always try to avoid it, but we make no secret of the fact that it will happen at some point—often don’t even make it through the door. We want to be known for this: This is a place where you come to work hard. If you care about the work you do here and the results you achieve, you’ll feel truly valued. If not, you’ll feel like a slave.
Brammer wants to offer incentives to employees to really give it their all. He mentions bonuses and company stock that select employees can earn based on their performance. Those who work hard should be rewarded for it by the studio.
Wardogs recently celebrated a major success on Steam. The tactical shooter is not only being celebrated by many fans but is already selling exceptionally well in Early Access. You can find all the news and our take on this Battlefield competitor right here in the link box.
What do you think of Brammer’s rather controversial opinion? Do you think it’s legitimate for overtime to occur within the planned framework, or is the company trying to justify an unhealthy work environment here?
