Over 100 developers are not included in the final credits roll for Team Bondi and Rockstar's L.A. Noire, according to former employees who recently launched a website to spotlight their contributions.
"These people devoted their talent, creativity and passion towards the project and, as is common in the games industry, have not been credited because they were not there during the final month or two of production, or other subjective criteria," reads a statement on the website, L.A. Noire Credits.
"A significant portion of these people did not leave Team Bondi by choice: they were made redundant as art production wound down, and as Quality Assurance work was shifted off-shore to Rockstar's studios," the statement continued.
Proper credits for L.A. Noire in particular are important for the Australian game development industry because the title is a "watershed moment" for the development scene in the country, the collective says. L.A. Noire was the first game shipped by may of the uncredited developers, who the website says may have trouble seeking employment without having their work recognized.
"This could lead to highly talented, and equally important, experienced developers pursuing their careers abroad or, more tragically, leaving the games industry permanently," the statement read.
This is not the first time Rockstar has been under fire for inadequate credits: over fifty-five alleged former employees of the now-closed Rockstar Vienna were said to be missing from 2007's Manhunt 2.
More information -- as well as a revised credits list that includes all known contributors to the game's seven-year development cycle -- is available at the L.A. Noire Credits website.
This is getting to the point where I wonder if there needs to be legislation. In the states, at least, I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to prove that a publisher is doing monetary harm to a developer by (maliciously) not affording them credit where it is due. It's unprofessional at best.
I don't think legislation is needed, that's kind of ridiculous. I think the game industry is too uptight about crediting. We only do it because we want to mimic the film industry, but we don't have any standards or arbitration procedures like the film industry does because we're not driven entirely by unions.
In other software fields... artists, programmers, and producers somehow manage to survive and get other jobs without any type of crediting at all. I believe that if you're going to credit you should do it fairly, and in that respect the uncredited LA Noire people have a very strong argument. But to assert that crediting is necessary for anyone to believe that you worked on something and is essential to your ability to make money... well... that's stretching it (to be polite).
I had this done to me by my former employer. I just put the game in my resume anyway,with an "uncredited" mention. It doesnt change a thing, no one disputes I worked on the game as
1- I can discuss it at length in a way only a dev can do
2-That employer wouldnt have paid me to work on nothing.
That doesnt make it right for publishers to do that, but just to reassure those people that it probably wont impact your career.
The problem is that MetaCritic now rates individual people based on their game credits, and to be excluded from a game credits for arbitrary reasons CAN be shown to cause harm if your future chances of landing a job are based (as they often are these days) on MetaCritic scores. I think lawyers would have a case.
That really bothers me, that MetaCritic does this now. Because starting out, we all work our way from the bottom working on games, as Adam Sessler put it, "Spiderman: Web of S***". But, that would harm an individual just starting out even though he/she is getting their feet wet in the industry.
This happens all the time. I just put the title on my resume anyhow and it's never been an issue. I've never heard of anyone valuing a MetaCritic score over a portfolio or code sample. Unfair? Absolutely. I once spent two years working on a title and wasn't listed on the credits because I wasn't there the month it shipped. That doesn't invalidate the work I did or the experience I gained.
I think that it matters a great deal more depending on what the credit that should have been afforded was. I was recently denied two writing credits by a major company for my work on two very high-profile titles because of a supposed company policy that decrees that they "do not credit writers on our games". Now, in my career as a screenwriter, that's hugely detrimental, as it's your produced or published credits that matter more than anything in terms of securing future employment. Even though I'm a member of the WGA, I have little recourse as the games industry remains free of any external oversight.
I guess my point is that, while the actions of game publishers may be legal, they are often unethical. It's yet another sign of an industry that desperately needs to mature if it wants to survive, let alone be taken seriously.
This is a shame I think everyone should get credit down to the janitors that clean the office. I did QA for a month on RIFT and didn't get in the credits.
If there's not a corporate or studio policy in place to not give credit it usually takes the very rough road of last minute item that needs to be finished yesterday. Most of the time it's an AP who circles around for input and finalizes all approvals for creative services. After many iterations, it's done. I've seen EPs, producers, and APs either take off employees they personally don't like or totally ignore those next to them or those who are not on their radar. This is quite often due to inexperience and a need to just get it done. Smart and humble producers get their teams credited whenever they can.
First and foremost - was a game credit promised? Is it is not in the contract - it should be. While I am just getting into games, I am very into contracts.
If your employer states, in your employment contract, you'll be given credit and your not - get more lawyers and become rich. It's not just a arbitrary omission, its a violation of contact - its breach for cause.
If your contract does not say thus, never do business with the group again. Period. And get a better lawyer.
Your contributions are exactly like the movies (oh yeah that is another legal point). If you contributed to the overall effort that would have gained you recognition in the movies - hey - sure as [explitive deleted] its something you need to review with a lawyer.
Talent is too rare not to be recongnized. So get all you can.
In other software fields... artists, programmers, and producers somehow manage to survive and get other jobs without any type of crediting at all. I believe that if you're going to credit you should do it fairly, and in that respect the uncredited LA Noire people have a very strong argument. But to assert that crediting is necessary for anyone to believe that you worked on something and is essential to your ability to make money... well... that's stretching it (to be polite).
1- I can discuss it at length in a way only a dev can do
2-That employer wouldnt have paid me to work on nothing.
That doesnt make it right for publishers to do that, but just to reassure those people that it probably wont impact your career.
I guess my point is that, while the actions of game publishers may be legal, they are often unethical. It's yet another sign of an industry that desperately needs to mature if it wants to survive, let alone be taken seriously.
If your employer states, in your employment contract, you'll be given credit and your not - get more lawyers and become rich. It's not just a arbitrary omission, its a violation of contact - its breach for cause.
If your contract does not say thus, never do business with the group again. Period. And get a better lawyer.
Your contributions are exactly like the movies (oh yeah that is another legal point). If you contributed to the overall effort that would have gained you recognition in the movies - hey - sure as [explitive deleted] its something you need to review with a lawyer.
Talent is too rare not to be recongnized. So get all you can.
...gene
1. Export to .csv
2. Import to whatever
3. ???
4. Profit
Then again, I've never been directly credited for any software I've ever developed but it's all still on my resume. It hasn't been an issue yet.