Developer Splash Damage has announced it’s shaving a day off its work week and transitioning to a four-day work model. On Twitter, the Transformers: Reactivate studio said it was “changing the way we work.”
“We’re moving to a four-day work week, on-site in our London office.”
At time of writing, any caveats of this new work model, such as a reduction in pay or change to how many days can be taken off, has not been disclosed.
Four-day work weeks in the game industry
Most big game studios still work five-day weeks, but in recent years, several have moved to four. The shift started in earnest in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Eidos, Kitfox Games, and Rogue Games adopting the model in the last year or two.
When Eidos announced its shift in 2021, it said doing so would be considerably more sustainable for its employees and increase their well-being.
While it likely won’t become completely widespread due to capitalistic reasons, four-day weeks and remote work have been two sizable changes to the work culture of triple-A studios.