User Warned: Self-Promotion
Source: https://www.spieltimes.com/news/met...t-epic-games-store-exclusivity-until-e3-2018/
Highlights
Regarding Work Conditions
"The only real drawback is the office being a little more cramped than our Malta office and than any IT office in general", they commented. "We had to hire more people and we have a lot of special hardware on the place, so it looks like a mad scientist's lab. You know, screens of different size all over the place, consoles and so on."
Crunching at 4A Games
"Crunches are considered as a way of some geek party", they wrote. "Beer, pizza, all that. It was hard but fun working. Crunches are compensated with extra vacations. Usually, the office is empty after crunch, people rest and then continue. Also, management is very liberal if you need a vacation or day off. Work hours are flexible". "We have a guy who works only at night, he doesn't seem to be a vampire though", they added.
Epic Games Store Exclusivity
Update:
Just to clear up some confusion, the actual relevant quote there is "Well after that, that's all I can say". So it's well after E3 2018, they didn't go back to the office after E3 and learn about that. If they learned about it at the same time we did, it was still after E3 2018.
"Don't know for sure but definitely a surprise for 4A. But we are just developers. It's publishers business", they wrote. It was after E3 2018 when 4A Games was informed about the Epic Games Store exclusivity. Metro Exodus was still a game for Steam in terms of development before that time of period. "Well after that(E3 2018), that's all I can say", my source confirmed. The reaction of the employees at the 4A Games studios was mixed. "People are not concerned about money", they stated. "Everybody [at 4A Games] was sure it(Metro Exodus) was worth it. It's more about reputation. And people are blaming us [for the decision] though we had nothing to do with it."
Will the exclusivity deal affect Exodus' sales?
"No, or not noticeably", they commented. "We are still publishing on Steam, pre-orders are not affected by anything."
Dmitry Glukhovsky
"The scenarios are based on his books, and he is very supportive on the adaptation of his text into games. Also, he is very easily reached out." Glukhovsky has never interfered in the development process and never demanded alterations or changes in certain scenes or gameplay sequences to fit his vision of the Metro world. "It's more the other way. When we are not sure we ask him which option fits the lore", they wrote. "He's a really easy guy".
Budget
Metro Exodus was built with a budget that never limited the various departments, say art, level design, sound etc in terms of production. The team barely came across situations where things had to be laid off, cut or completely dropped due to financial/technical limitations. "Everybody was trying to make everything in a smart way to not lead to excess expenses", they claimed. "We really never had a situation where money was an issue. You see, the crew is experienced and people understand the business side well and don't need any management. People are self-motivated and self-managed. Nobody supervises anybody."
Metro Exodus has progressed as planned. 4A Games is confident the game's ready and at a level they visioned. Every aspect of the game has been improved significantly, be it the visuals, size, depth, quality and the overall Metro experience. "Are you confident the game's ready?", I asked. "Yes, otherwise we wouldn't ship it", they answered.
Post-Release
Coming to post-release content for Exodus, they commented the details are "classified", but told me not to worry as they are "busy" working on certain plans.
Another question I asked was, "Were you provided sufficient time to prepare the game? Or could you say, if you were given more time and budget you could have done better?"
"It's as good as it could no further time or money needed", they replied.
Interestingly, from what I've been told, Deep Silver has never put pressure on 4A Games to meet certain sales targets. "Deep silver set targets for themselves", they claimed. "We create, they sell."
MOD EDIT: Title change to avoid confusion
Highlights
- I interviewed a 4A Games employee. I can't reveal their identity as they requested anonymity.
- The interviewee says they were surprised when they first heard about the Epic Games Store exclusivity.
- The interviewee claims to have known about the decision only after E3 2018.
- Working conditions and crunch culture at 4A Games were discussed.
- The production process of Metro Exodus was discussed.
Regarding Work Conditions
"The only real drawback is the office being a little more cramped than our Malta office and than any IT office in general", they commented. "We had to hire more people and we have a lot of special hardware on the place, so it looks like a mad scientist's lab. You know, screens of different size all over the place, consoles and so on."
Crunching at 4A Games
"Crunches are considered as a way of some geek party", they wrote. "Beer, pizza, all that. It was hard but fun working. Crunches are compensated with extra vacations. Usually, the office is empty after crunch, people rest and then continue. Also, management is very liberal if you need a vacation or day off. Work hours are flexible". "We have a guy who works only at night, he doesn't seem to be a vampire though", they added.
Epic Games Store Exclusivity
Update:
Just to clear up some confusion, the actual relevant quote there is "Well after that, that's all I can say". So it's well after E3 2018, they didn't go back to the office after E3 and learn about that. If they learned about it at the same time we did, it was still after E3 2018.
"Don't know for sure but definitely a surprise for 4A. But we are just developers. It's publishers business", they wrote. It was after E3 2018 when 4A Games was informed about the Epic Games Store exclusivity. Metro Exodus was still a game for Steam in terms of development before that time of period. "Well after that(E3 2018), that's all I can say", my source confirmed. The reaction of the employees at the 4A Games studios was mixed. "People are not concerned about money", they stated. "Everybody [at 4A Games] was sure it(Metro Exodus) was worth it. It's more about reputation. And people are blaming us [for the decision] though we had nothing to do with it."
Will the exclusivity deal affect Exodus' sales?
"No, or not noticeably", they commented. "We are still publishing on Steam, pre-orders are not affected by anything."
Dmitry Glukhovsky
"The scenarios are based on his books, and he is very supportive on the adaptation of his text into games. Also, he is very easily reached out." Glukhovsky has never interfered in the development process and never demanded alterations or changes in certain scenes or gameplay sequences to fit his vision of the Metro world. "It's more the other way. When we are not sure we ask him which option fits the lore", they wrote. "He's a really easy guy".
Budget
Metro Exodus was built with a budget that never limited the various departments, say art, level design, sound etc in terms of production. The team barely came across situations where things had to be laid off, cut or completely dropped due to financial/technical limitations. "Everybody was trying to make everything in a smart way to not lead to excess expenses", they claimed. "We really never had a situation where money was an issue. You see, the crew is experienced and people understand the business side well and don't need any management. People are self-motivated and self-managed. Nobody supervises anybody."
Metro Exodus has progressed as planned. 4A Games is confident the game's ready and at a level they visioned. Every aspect of the game has been improved significantly, be it the visuals, size, depth, quality and the overall Metro experience. "Are you confident the game's ready?", I asked. "Yes, otherwise we wouldn't ship it", they answered.
Post-Release
Coming to post-release content for Exodus, they commented the details are "classified", but told me not to worry as they are "busy" working on certain plans.
Another question I asked was, "Were you provided sufficient time to prepare the game? Or could you say, if you were given more time and budget you could have done better?"
"It's as good as it could no further time or money needed", they replied.
Interestingly, from what I've been told, Deep Silver has never put pressure on 4A Games to meet certain sales targets. "Deep silver set targets for themselves", they claimed. "We create, they sell."
MOD EDIT: Title change to avoid confusion
Last edited by a moderator:
