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Gameloft’s New Zealand Offices Cleared of Last Summer’s Over-Working Allegations

Last summer Games.On.Net broke a story regarding Glenn Watson, a former Head Studio Programmer at Gameloft’s New Zealand office. Watson alleged he was typically working 100-120 hour work weeks. In his words, “Starting at 9:30 AM, going home at 2:30 AM, and then com­ing back into the office at 8:30 AM to start work again was not unusual”. He went on to whistle blow on poor working conditions, even mentioning that some junior programmers work 24 hour shifts.

These allegations spread like wildfire across the Internet, with little regard to the fact that there wasn’t much backing up these claims other than the single article everyone was sourcing. The New Zealand Labor Department launched an investigation on the matter not long after the allegations hit, and per New Zealand games site GamePlanet, the investigation recently concluded.

According to the Labor Department, Gameloft was not in breach of New Zealand’s Health and Safety Employment act. In fact, Labor Department spokesperson Alisa Mannell even mentioned that there was “no substantial evidence" of any wrongdoing on Gameloft’s part.