Uncredited L.A. Noire staff reveal frustration at working conditions

Team Bondi developers who claim they were purposefully not credited for Rockstar Games' L.A. Noire have complained of 12 hour long days and a crunch period that lasted over a year - according to new newspaper reports.

Previously over 100 separate staff members have complained of being left out of the credits for the game, which has lead to the creation of the website L.A. Noire Credits.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald, most of the developers involved did not wish to be named, but the estimate of those left out of the credits has risen to 130.

One unnamed developer alleges that some staff were specifically told they would not be credited unless they remained with the company until after the game shipped. This is contrary to guidelines laid out by industry bodies such as the IGDA.

The list of omitted staff apparently includes one lead engine developer who worked on the game for four years. Another developer who spoke to the newspaper claimed to work on the game for over three years but left because, "I felt as though my sanity depended on it".

Although also unnamed, for fear of the adverse affect it could have on his career, the developer claims he was asked to work 10 to 12 hours almost every day and on weekends, describing Team Bondi as an "inflexible and virtually praise-free environment".

"So, after my wife had been pushing me to quit for more than a year, I did," he said. Although long hours are not unusual in the final weeks or months before a game's completion, the suggestion that a crunch period could last for over a year is unusual.

One source speaking to the newspaper suggested that the omissions occurred because of the many changes made to the game over the course of its development, but the co-creator of the L.A. Noire Credits site insists that many developers are adamant that their work was still included in the final game.