Wardogs developer Bulkhead won't hire anti-crunch candidates, CEO says

Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer says the studio checks applicants' social media and won't hire people who publicly criticise crunch, calling it an inevitable part of game development. The comments, made to The Game Business, sparked backlash and a clarification from Brammer that crunch is not mandatory.

Bottom line — Bulkhead sold 2 million copies of Wardogs in five days while defending a policy that filters out anti-crunch applicants.

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• Brammer told The Game Business that the studio 'always' tries to avoid crunch but 'we don't hide that this is going to happen at some point,' per IGN. 'They know I expect people to crunch,' he added, per Kotaku. 'I own that.'
• Brammer explained the hiring filter: 'We check people's socials, and if you're constantly tweeting anti-crunch messaging: "This should never ever be a thing", we know that and go, "Look, you're not going to be happy here, so we're not going to go with you," ' PC Gamer quoted him as saying.
• In response to the backlash, Brammer posted on X that claims of mandatory overtime were fabricated. He stated that 50% of development ran on a four-day work week and that half the staff holds 80% equity in Bulkhead, per Power Up Gaming and Beebom.
• Brammer said financial incentives offset the strain: some employees get shares and bonuses in what he called 'life-changing' amounts, per Game Developer. However, The Game Business reported that not all staff are eligible for these benefits.
• The studio has made redundancies every year for the past six years, laying off about 20% of the company, according to Game Developer. Despite this, GamesIndustry.biz named Bulkhead one of the UK's 'Best Places To Work' in 2023 and 2024, Kotaku noted.
• 'For the last three months, Wardogs has been a lot more important than a lot of their family lives,' Brammer said, per IGN. He added that the console release has been pushed to 2028 to avoid further pressure on the team.

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