Crytek UK Employees Refuse to Work; Homefront 2 Likely Put on Hold

[VinWarrior]

Crytek UK, under many allegations in the recent days for neglection of payment to it's employees which can be viewed in Unease P34nut's article here, has reported stopped production on Homefront: The Revolution due to it's core employees flat out not coming in to work and refusing to do so.

 

Crytek UK has been quite a big company in the recent years, but most remember them not as Crytek UK, but as Free Radical Design, makers of the TimeSplitters series and the game Haze on the PS3, they also took head of Crysis 2 and did work on Crysis 3. Kotaku.com says that this seemingly lofty studio with a generally good history and solid name is stopping production on one of their titles, Homefront 2, due to employees not working. While no official delay for the Homefront sequel has been announced, and this whole issue seems to be under the process of being swept under the rug, it's very likely we won't see anything from them until 2016 with over 100 leaving. Crytek UK itself is hoping greatly for it's parent publisher, Deep Silver, to purchase it so it can begin to recover. The effects have already taken a beating on the company though, with a Ryse sequel cancelled, Homefront 2 pre-orders not going as amazingly as a sequel to a game like this should, and a loss of trust from employees, gamers, and reviewers.

 

 

What is your take on this, were you excited for Homefront: The Revolution? Tell me about it below, thanks for reading!

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[Unease Peanut]

Sad to see it come down to this.

Is this a strike or are people seriously leaving never to return again?

 

Thanks for keeping an eye out on the topic

Edited July 4, 2014 by Unease P34nut

[Is not JL]

"So we're not earning money, but rather than straight up resigning and leaving for another company we're just gonna not go to work.

 

We're just gonna sit down and wait, and this is how we're going to end up turning over a profit at the end of it. Production stopped? That'll encourage a parent publisher to purchase us! That'll mean more gamers will buy our stuff! This is the best decision ever."

 

Ahhhh.............

 

Wut.

 

At the very least I'd expected the people who are dedicated to creating their game to keep on working, at least a little bit, instead of flat out sitting back and doing nothing. Literally waiting for a financial crisis to pass over their heads probably isn't in any way a good action to take if you want it to actually pass over your head.

 

Actually sad.

[Buns]

"So we're not earning money, but rather than straight up resigning and leaving for another company we're just gonna not go to work.

 

We're just gonna sit down and wait, and this is how we're going to end up turning over a profit at the end of it. Production stopped? That'll encourage a parent publisher to purchase us! That'll mean more gamers will buy our stuff! This is the best decision ever."

 

Ahhhh.............

 

Wut.

 

At the very least I'd expected the people who are dedicated to creating their game to keep on working, at least a little bit, instead of flat out sitting back and doing nothing. Literally waiting for a financial crisis to pass over their heads probably isn't in any way a good action to take if you want it to actually pass over your head.

 

Actually sad.

In history this is what we call a Labor Strike, Workers Strike, etc. Americans did this a lot in the past

 

All of these employees have families to take care and mouth to feeds they don't exactly have the time to do free work and not get paid. I bet most of them are looking for other jobs and not to mention they want their voice heard. Are you seriously thinking it is fine for them to work on a triple-A game while having not received a paycheck over the past month and you have bills, and taxes to pay? Not to mention mouths to feed and maybe even Children. They have not gotten a paycheck in quite some time so of course they're not going to work for free! I bet some of them love the game they have created but they can't just sit around and do free work for 40 hours a week(this is assuming they have an 8 hour schedule with weekends off but that could be different)

 

This has been done many times before and this time it is no different. It sucks a lot, but how else are they going to get their paychecks quicker? Like I said this isn't about "staying dedicated to the game" of course they want to make it they aren't resigning! They just want to be properly paid for the time they put in to take care of themselves and families.  Plus resigning is an idiot move because someone can take their spot right away and the message they are trying to convey would be pointless.  

 

Best of luck to Crytek and I hope they get back on their feet soon. 

 

Edt: You should also remember that most of these employees have not been getting paid for sometime now while the higher ups in the company have been getting paid fairly so of course they're going to be very mad.

[Caboose The Ace]

Something's Fishy at Crytek.

 

First strange stuff from Naughty dog and now Crytek  ...

 

I wonder what is going on inside the both companies HQ.

Edited July 4, 2014 by Caboose the Ace

[WonderWombat]

"So we're not earning money, but rather than straight up resigning and leaving for another company we're just gonna not go to work.

 

We're just gonna sit down and wait, and this is how we're going to end up turning over a profit at the end of it. Production stopped? That'll encourage a parent publisher to purchase us! That'll mean more gamers will buy our stuff! This is the best decision ever."

 

Ahhhh.............

 

Wut.

 

At the very least I'd expected the people who are dedicated to creating their game to keep on working, at least a little bit, instead of flat out sitting back and doing nothing. Literally waiting for a financial crisis to pass over their heads probably isn't in any way a good action to take if you want it to actually pass over your head.

 

Actually sad.

There is no reality in which 100 people instantly find new jobs. Not being paid for weeks means it is is likely a dead end job and isn't going to get better. Quiting the job and finding a new one is the best course of action if the employer just outright stops paying you. Few people will just work months finishing a game and hope that they get paid for it, especially when they have families to take care of and bills to pay. Big surprise that the video game industry is actually a business and revolves around money!

[Is not JL]

Nonetheless, these are people who are literally just dropping back and doing nothing. Their game could have sold well. They could be doing other things.

 

But nah.

 

Just no work.

 

That'll solve it.

[Connor Kenway]

JL by going on strike the company ends up losing profit so if CT UK want profit they'll have to start paying their employees again

[The Director]

Nonetheless, these are people who are literally just dropping back and doing nothing. Their game could have sold well. They could be doing other things.

 

But nah.

 

Just no work.

 

That'll solve it.

Of course it will. It will encourage the management/admin who obviously aren't doing their jobs to reconsider not paying the ones who are actually working. They aren't the ones who make the big bucks when the game gets sold. They make their salary and that's it.

 

However they aren't making their salary. They aren't being paid. Their bosses are getting paid though. The salaries that are so high you wouldn't believe it are getting paid, but the employees who are actually doing all the work aren't.

 

Don't know about you but I would refuse to work for a company that didn't pay me what I'm supposed to make. I would straight up quit and find a new job.

 

At least they are giving Crytek a chance to sort it all out instead of making them pay for new employee hiring/training.

[Twinreaper]

Uess they are part of a Union, it isnt a strike, its just them not showing for work. Depending on the laws of the ELB, the company may have a certain time frame by law, that they have to pay their employees by. In the US, you could go as long as 30 days without a paycheck legaly before being able to just not show, and not get fired.

 

Still itis a shame to.see this happen to people, but in then end, its up to the workers to find a means to continue to.support their families etc... I had to do it when i lost work.

[WonderWombat]

Uess they are part of a Union, it isnt a strike, its just them not showing for work. Depending on the laws of the ELB, the company may have a certain time frame by law, that they have to pay their employees by. In the US, you could go as long as 30 days without a paycheck legaly before being able to just not show, and not get fired.

 

Still itis a shame to.see this happen to people, but in then end, its up to the workers to find a means to continue to.support their families etc... I had to do it when i lost work.

You don't have to be in a union to strike. A strike is simply work stopping due to mass refusal of employees to work.

[Twinreaper]

If memory serves me correct, a LEGAL recognized strike is only made available if the employees are part of the Trade Union.  If they are not, their striking all but signs their termination notice, as the company or TU can do nothing to protect or represent the "strikers" from losing their jobs from a  "failure to work".

 

Look, I'm not siding with Crytek on this one, I just thinks it's silly to risk one's job to go about a grievance the WRONG way.  Their coarse of action should have been to continue working, and contact Labour Relations to see what could be done legally and how to go about it.  Looking to the future of employment for these poor guys, they will have a hard time finding a job with a "strike" and 'refusal to work" under their employment records.