Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Image via Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga was initially appear in 2022, and it has since experienced multiple delays. A report published by Polygon alleged that the game has had a particularly crude five-year evolution bike marred by a motility to a new engine, besides equally excruciating crunch at TT Games.

Quondam and current TT Games employees claimed that development on the game started in 2022, and that direction had opted to forgo using the popular Unreal Engine for The Skywalker Saga. Instead, the game was congenital on an all-new engine titled NTT, which employees described as unfinished technology. As much of the game's pre-production was allegedly done without NTT in mind, this created several issues for TT Games, reportedly resulting in a rift between management and staff.

The report also identified feature creep every bit some other central obstruction in the game's development. 1 one-time employee claimed that the game'south manager would "asking new mechanics on a whim," such every bit the combo-based melee combat seen in The Skywalker Saga'south trailers, without meaningfully addressing criticisms of prior Lego titles. Pregnant portions of the staff were also reportedly shifted to different projects throughout the game'due south development, further hindering work on The Skywalker Saga.

Those interviewed likewise declared that they were regularly pressured into working overtime, and have been for more than a decade. Employees were reportedly warned they could confront consequences for non "pulling their weight," and that choosing not to work would let the team downwardly. Co-ordinate to those interviewed, it was common for employees to piece of work 80 to 100 hours over the course of half dozen-24-hour interval workweeks. TT Games' crunch issues allegedly preceded both The Skywalker Saga'due south development, equally well every bit the visitor's acquisition past Warner Bros. Interviewees claimed that prior to Warner Bros. acquisition of TT Games, game development schedules were oftentimes congenital with crunch in mind, due to many of TT Games' titles tying into popular movie releases or the holiday season.

Some also identified certain TT Games studios equally hostile work environments for women, citing instances of women being bullied and otherwise mistreated in the workplace. All of this being said, some employees did disclose that the studio has taken minor steps towards improving working conditions, such as abandoning the NTT engine for hereafter projects, as well as limiting the amount of overtime that staff can work.

This report follows Warner Bros. announcement of Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga'southward release engagement. The game is prepare to launch on April 5, mark the finish of a long, and reportedly excruciating, evolution cycle.