Bulkhead CEO and Wardogs executive producer Joe Brammer says the studio tries to avoid crunch, but believes extended hours will eventually be necessary during game development. He also says the company screens applicants’ social-media activity for repeated public opposition to crunch.
In a new interview with The Game Business, Brammer described crunch as the prolonged late-night work often used to finish a game or major update. Although many developers and studios have tried to reduce the practice after high-profile cases involving companies such as Rockstar Games and Bethesda, it still happens across many projects.
For readers following the wider games business, the issue also highlights why production conditions matter well beyond the finished product. Our arcade news and industry coverage regularly considers the people and processes behind interactive entertainment.
Bulkhead says crunch is part of the job
Brammer said people are justified in objecting to crunch, but suggested those who hold strong anti-crunch views would not be comfortable at Bulkhead. He characterised the studio as a workplace for people prepared to work hard and who feel personally invested in the final result.
“We always try and avoid it, but we don’t hide that this is going to happen at some point,” Brammer said. “They know I expect people to crunch. I own that. I don’t try and hide it.”
He added that employees who care deeply about their work may feel valued, while those who do not could experience the workload as being driven excessively hard. The comments frame crunch as an explicit expectation rather than an occasional surprise for staff.
Social-media checks during recruitment
Brammer explained that Bulkhead reviews prospective employees’ social accounts during recruitment. Candidates who repeatedly post messages arguing that crunch should never happen are, he said, unlikely to be selected because the studio expects they would be unhappy there.
“We check people’s socials,” Brammer said, describing how the studio may reject an applicant whose posts consistently oppose crunch.
Around the launch of Wardogs earlier this month, Brammer also shared a video showing beds arranged at the studio. He said some staff members had been there for two consecutive days. His post added a visible example to the broader discussion about the workload surrounding the game’s release.
That kind of production pressure is familiar across many genres, including the teams behind arcade-style shooters and other demanding action games. Players interested in the hardware side can browse arcade light-gun systems for shooting games while considering how different development and play experiences are shaped by design choices.
Wardogs sales and employee rewards
Brammer argued that if a company acknowledges crunch, employees should receive something in return. At Bulkhead, staff who own shares can receive bonuses when games perform well. Wardogs has sold two million copies and has become a major success on Steam, although not every employee receives those financial benefits.
He described the potential payments as life-changing, saying they could help junior developers buy a home or contribute to a deposit. The arrangement is presented as a financial benefit for participating shareholders, rather than a reward available to the entire workforce.
Bulkhead has also made redundancies every year for the past six years. The studio was named among the UK’s “Best Places To Work” by GamesIndustry.biz in 2023 and 2024, but did not receive the same award in 2025. Separately, Bulkhead’s own post said the studio had been recognised as one of the UK’s best workplaces.
For anyone planning an arcade setup, workplace stories like this sit alongside practical questions about longevity, maintenance and value. RETROCADE’s arcade machine buying guide covers the considerations involved in choosing a cabinet for home or commercial use.
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