The studio behind the recent FPS hit Wardogs has admitted to screening prospective employees’ social media accounts for public criticism of crunch, deliberately steering clear of candidates who voice opposition to the practice of working excessive hours to meet deadlines. Bulkhead CEO Joe Brammer made the revelation in a lengthy interview with The Game Business, acknowledging that crunch “is going to happen at some point” even as the studio “always try and avoid it.” The comments have drawn scrutiny over the company’s hiring philosophy and its approach to one of the gaming industry’s most contentious labour issues.
Brammer framed the policy as a deliberate cultural choice rather than mere exclusion. “A lot of people that may have an issue with crunch – rightly so, I understand that issue, we always try and avoid it, but we don’t hide that this is going to happen at some point – they often don’t make it in the door,” he said. According to Brammer, the practice stems from Bulkhead’s desire to be recognised as “a place you come to work hard.” “If you care about the work you’re making and the result of what you make here, you’ll feel really valued,” he continued. “If you don’t, you will feel slave-driven.”
Checking Socials for Anti-Crunch Messaging
The specifics of Bulkhead’s vetting process became clear when Brammer explained exactly how the studio identifies ideological misalignment. “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’,” he said.
“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’.”
Joe Brammer, CEO of Bulkhead
The statement has been read by many as an implicit assertion that developers opposed to crunch place less value on their own work, or at least on its final product. There is also a more subtle undertone at play: rather than presenting the rejection of anti-crunch advocates as a matter of simply keeping staff content, Brammer’s framing positions the company as bestowing a favour by sparing applicants an environment they would find miserable. Critics note this conveniently sidesteps the question of whether Bulkhead is deliberately filtering out voices that might challenge its working practices.
Compensation, Context, and the Four-Day Week
Brammer argued that the intensity of the workload is offset by generous pay, though The Game Business reported that not all of the studio’s staff own shares or receive bonuses. In a subsequent tweet that saw him claim coverage of his chat with TGB had taken his crunch comments “out of context,” he also pointed to a number of other concessions Bulkhead offers, including giving staff the month of December off and having operated with a four-day work week for “50%” of Wardogs’ development.
He also declared that he was “not going to get into a public debate about this,” seemingly unaware that discussing a controversial issue like crunch in an on-the-record interview is, in itself, an act of entering the public debate. Brammer’s insistence on avoiding the discussion appears designed to protect the studio’s image ahead of what he expects to be a period of significant growth.
Looking Ahead
Brammer said in the interview with The Game Business that Bulkhead have made staff redundant every year for the past six, adding that following Wardogs’ early success “this will be the first year we haven’t done it.” The studio’s trajectory suggests Brammer’s optimism may well be justified, with the FPS hit providing a platform for expansion and the kind of stability his hiring stance promises.
Meanwhile, the community has continued to engage with the game itself. Our James has given Wardogs a go and found himself making cash as a pacifist rideshare driver, while Edwin’s reported on Bulkhead’s efforts to come down hard on XP farming and exploits which get around the money-making grind. As the title gains momentum, the contrast between Brammer’s vision of a valued, well-compensated team and the realities of crunch remains a defining tension for the studio.
For prospective talent, the message is unambiguous: Bulkhead wants developers who embrace hard work above all else, and it will know if you don’t.
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