Rockstar tells employees to get back in the office full time, partly to stop more GTA...

[midian182]

A hot potato: Rockstar Games is joining the list of organizations asking its employees to get back in the office. As of April, the studio wants workers in the building five days per week. That's more than most companies ask, but then Rockstar does have a good reason: minimizing the risk of new GTA VI leaks.

An email from Rockstar Head of Publishing Jenn Kolbe that was seen by Bloomberg notes that the RTO mandate is for "productivity" reasons. That's the contentious answer most companies give, but Kolbe also adds that "security" is another important factor.

Back in September 2022, one of the biggest leaks of all time took place when over 90 videos and screenshots of early GTA VI development were posted online. Rockstar said the hack cost it $5 million and thousands of hours of employee time.

It was later revealed that a UK teenager was behind the hack and leak. He was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment inside a hospital prison in December due to his desire to return to cybercrime as soon as possible.

While not on the same scale as that particular security incident, the official GTA VI trailer from last year was also leaked, the day before Rockstar was due to release it to the public.

Kolbe's mention of security in the RTO mandate doubtlessly refers to the GTA VI leaks and the hope that bringing people back into the office will mitigate the chances of another one taking place. The next entry in the massively popular franchise doesn't arrive until 2025, so there's still a long wait before it gets here.

As for those productivity reasons, Kolbe wrote in the email that Rockstar had found "tangible benefits" from in-office work. "Making these changes now puts us in the best position to deliver the next Grand Theft Auto at the level of quality and polish we know it requires, along with a publishing roadmap that matches the scale and ambition of the game," she said. Not surprisingly, employees "are not thrilled" with Rockstar's decision, writes Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

A slew of companies have demanded their employees get back in the office following years of working from home, a policy introduced during the pandemic. Many organizations have reneged on their promise never to ask staff to come back, something that has led to protests and many people quitting.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/102073-rockstar-tells-employees-get-back-office-full-time.html

 

[The Talking Tech]

With thousands of other game developers losing their jobs and if you want to risk your own throwing a tantrum about not wanting to work from the office then you should be fired for not having common sense of your priorities in life.

 

[masaaya4]

With thousands of other game developers losing their jobs and if you want to risk your own throwing a tantrum about not wanting to work from the office then you should be fired for not having common sense of your priorities in life.

with all the AI talk going on, some of the employees working from home must be asking themselves if they want to move their family for a job they might lose In a few years anyway, or straight up find work in a different sector.

 

[erickmendes]

I would leak like aunt Agnes bladder if I was obligated to get back to office...

 

[Underdog]

Only a concern for those who sit on their backsides in an office and get paid for it.
The rest have to go out with a toolbox to actually earn their living by providing a useful service.

 

[Endymio]

I would leak like aunt Agnes bladder if I was obligated to get back to office...

Quite frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself for posting something like this, even as a joke. If you don't like your terms of employment, quit. Your statement is morally equivalent to claiming that employers have the right to not only terminate employees they're unhappy with, but to also slaughter their entire family and burn down their homes.

 

[The Talking Tech]

with all the AI talk going on, some of the employees working from home must be asking themselves if they want to move their family for a job they might lose In a few years anyway, or straight up find work in a different sector.

With AI no sector is safe...it's about making the best out of the situation and do what is required of you like grown-up people that we are.

 

[toooooot]

with all the AI talk going on, some of the employees working from home must be asking themselves if they want to move their family for a job they might lose In a few years anyway, or straight up find work in a different sector.

Maybe even leak the game if they know for sure their days before AI replaces them are counted.

 

[erickmendes]

Quite frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself for posting something like this, even as a joke. If you don't like your terms of employment, quit. Your statement is morally equivalent to claiming that employers have the right to not only terminate employees they're unhappy with, but to also slaughter their entire family and burn down their homes.

Man you are chasing me today uh? ... Everything I post you make some argument against even if anyone can see that it's just a joke.

 

[Uncle Al]

What ever makes them think that bringing people back to the office will end the leaks? And how do we know it isn't the company doing the leaking to promote the game???

 

[RudyBob]

with all the AI talk going on, some of the employees working from home must be asking themselves if they want to move their family for a job they might lose In a few years anyway, or straight up find work in a different sector.

That's called life

 

[yRaz]

Man you are chasing me today uh? ... Everything I post you make some argument against even if anyone can see that it's just a joke.

More like you showed everyone why noone should hire you. I have to sign NDAs all the time, I wouldn't have a job if I felt as childishly as you did. "You're making me do something I don't want to do so I'm gonna ruin your project." I've seen peoples careers end and be fined tens of thousands of dollars for that nonsense. If you don't like it then don't take the job. Be pissed at the other childish leakers who made increasing security by forcing people back into the office necessary.

 

[Bruno M. Villar]

These companies have crap HR departments. If you hire wrong, you have leaks

 

[Nobina]

I don't think it's unreasonable for an employer to want his employees to come to the office, it's basic stuff. If you can't handle that, there are very few jobs on this planet that you can stomach.

 

[Ohnooze]

I'm not sure a lot of the younger people these days would have survived the 80s.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Here we go, another RTO story on TechSpot, comment section unrolls like a pre-scripted event.

 

[NumberNine]

I don't care about their work policies. I'm just patiently waiting to see if they're still capable of releasing a good video game. Everything else is secondary to the quality of the fiinished product. We know they can make money. We know they can make headlines. Now let's see if they can still make the game.

Edit: I'd also appreciate a protagonist without a terminal illness who survives the conclusion of the story.

 

[axiomatic13]

I find Nvidia's implication that their security issues are due to work from home employees laughable.

 

[Adhmuz]

What ever makes them think that bringing people back to the office will end the leaks? And how do we know it isn't the company doing the leaking to promote the game???

Because they caught the kid responsible for it as mentioned in the article.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101310-18-year-old-hacker-behind-gta-vi-leak.html

However, this has been known to happen in the past, advertisement departments will do this to promote the product by artificially leaking something, this then gets people talking about the product.

 

[lonetac]

They just going to fire them anyway after burning them all out.

Just go find a new job now and get it over with.

 

[wiyosaya]

Leakers will leak no matter where they are. All it takes is an internet connection. Forcing people to return to the office will have no effect on leaks, IMO.

Quite frankly, you should be ashamed of yourself for posting something like this, even as a joke. If you don't like your terms of employment, quit. Your statement is morally equivalent to claiming that employers have the right to not only terminate employees they're unhappy with, but to also slaughter their entire family and burn down their homes.

Seriously?

 

[return]

I would go back for the free food I heard they get anytime they want. It is basically living in a hotel that your company paid for.

 

[Branch]

I'm not sure a lot of the younger people these days would have survived the 80s.

and cue the Lost Boys: "Cry Little Sister" tune.

 

[Endymio]

These companies have crap HR departments. If you hire wrong, you have leaks

Where exactly do you inspect a new hire to find the "I'm the slimeball leaker" tattoo? On the forehead? Between the legs?

 

[Endymio]

I find Nvidia's implication that their security issues are due to work from home employees laughable.

And here we have a person so zealously anxious to hate NVidia, they failed to realize the store is about a different company entirely.