Bulkhead CEO and Wardogs executive producer Joe Brammer says that while his studio “always” tries to avoid crunch during game development, it can’t always be avoided and will inevitably “happen at some point.” For this reason, the studio prefers hiring people who haven’t publicly criticized crunch online via social media posts, explaining that those who do speak out against such practices wouldn’t like it at the studio.
In a new interview with The Game Business, Brammer talked about the controversial practice of crunch, when game developers stay late and work long hours for extended periods of time to finish up a game or update. It’s a practice that most of the industry has tried to diminish following many high-profile examples of crunch at studios like Rockstar Games and Bethesda, though it still happens to this day across many projects. And according to Brammer, people who have an issue with crunch are right to be against it, but they won’t fit in at Bulkhead.
“A lot of people who 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,” Brammer told Christopher Dring of The Game Business.
“We want to be known for that: this is 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. If you don’t, you will feel slave-driven.” He also added: “They know I expect people to crunch. I own that. I don’t try and hide it.”
Brammer explained that Bulkhead checks the social media accounts of potential employees as part of the hiring process, and anyone advocating against crunch is rarely considered for a role.
“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 (@Brammflakes) September 9, 2026
Around the launch of Wardogs earlier this month, Brammer posted a video showing some beds set up at the studio and explained that some people had been there for two days straight.
Kotaku has contacted Bulkhead about Brammer’s crunch statements.
The Bulkhead CEO and Wardogs boss says that there is a positive side to all this hard work and potential crunch. Employees who own shares in the company receive bonuses for successful games like Wardogs, which has already sold two million copies and is a huge hit on Steam. However, The Game Business reports that not all employees get these financial benefits.
“If we’re going to be a company that says ‘we do crunch,’ then we have to also say, ‘but you get something for it,’ said Brammer. He says the money is life-changing and could allow junior devs to “buy a house” or at least help them with the down payment. The studio has also laid off employees every year for the past six years. In 2023 and 2024, the studio was named one of the UK’s “Best Places To Work” by GamesIndustry.biz. Bulkhead didn’t win that same award in 2025.
