Four animators say unsustainable working conditions are behind the success of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
Several refute talk that 100-hour workweeks are the norm
The exact thing happens in game dev, as evidenced by the absolute nightmare that was RDR2's development years ago. Crunch in these kinds of media industries are often overlooked when the product is genuinely ground breaking or fan favorites
We saw it in the early 2000s with Halo 2's hell development and horrible work hours ushering in a revolution in online gaming. Thus making any criticism of it handwaved as being necessary.
We saw it in the mid 2010s when BioWare had some of the worst internal culture traits anywhere in the industry. But then Dragon Age Inquisition won game of the year, and was beyond criticism both internally and in mainstream outlets for years after its release.
It poses a weird position for both us as consumere and the creators of these pieces of media because many of the creators have mixed feelings. They often simultaneously wish for the success and failure of their creations. If it succeeds, then their exploitation "meant" something and they gain recognition, but then it's all justified. If it fails, the working conditions can be blamed and things MIGHT change, but just as likely whatever parent company cuts the checks will liquidate entire creative endeavors.
