MercurySteam's Extended Hours Dilemma: Navigating HR Ambiguity and Production Pressures

This analysis presents concerns raised about demanding work practices and extended schedules at MercurySteam, the developer behind titles such as Castlevania: Lords of Shadows and Blades of Fire. The report details claims of prolonged work hours imposed without corresponding compensation and describes how these practices have negatively affected staff morale.

According to findings by a Spanish news outlet, several human resources policies were implemented earlier this year that resulted in extended daily commitments. One such change introduced in January involved a new schedule structure designed to add an extra hour of work each day. Many employees, however, reported being expected to continue working even beyond that hour due to pressing production demands.

The report indicates that not all departments experienced these changes uniformly, which contributed to a sense of disarray within the organization. There was a Ambiguity concerning how to execute the policy, and even supervisory staff appeared uncertain about the details. The absence of formal documentation and clear guidelines led to numerous instances of unregulated additional work hours.

The report emphasizes several critical points, including:

• The introduction of an additional hour of work per day without clear provisions for extra compensation.
• Instances where employees were pressured to extend hours even further under the guise of meeting production needs.
• Lack of differentiation between standard added hours and further overtime, resulting in ambiguity in record-keeping.
• The use of urgent language to justify measures that were neither officially sanctioned nor properly documented.

Ultimately, despite the efforts to adhere to aggressive deadlines, MercurySteam's latest project did not manage to captivate its intended audience as expected. The studio now faces questions regarding its future strategies in addressing these challenges.