LA Noire - What Happened?

[@RyouKaguraTV]

Bless the soul of the animator who did everything apart from the fluid cutscenes. He didn’t deserve that much work

[@curiousjorge934]

Fr he didn't even quit which is surprising

[@samaqan9461]

Honestly that part of the video blew my mind the most. The animations, while stilted, still felt serviceable. I just assumed most of the work was put into the facial capture stuff, which is *technically* true. I just cant get over that one dude doing all of that. What a fucking machine. I hope he got plenty of jobs after this.

the guy animated a AAA game alone

[@VincentVincent_89]

@@samaqan9461 I hope he’s okay:( bro just did one of the most impressive things by a single developer in the entire industry

[@CpnGame]

Don't bother blessing their soul, it's gone now. McNamara ground it out of him.

[@zzxp1]

McNamara: "My only regret is that humans have to sleep and eat, they are such low life forms, the robot revolution can't come soon enough"

[@KillaB89]

Lmaooooo

[@lonecolamarine]

Spoken like a true Necron.

[@musicisfun15]

Woke up. Came to see the comments in this video. I was not disappointed lmaooo

[@dimitriwarchief301]

Dah fuck

[@danieldb631]

Bender: Yeah! Kill the humans!

[@DoctorPorkenfries]

4:53 in all fairness to Capcom, the only reason Red Dead became so successful WAS because Rockstar acquired it and made it like one of their own IPs. It wouldn't have been half as successful as it has been if Capcom had kept it.

[@plasmaoctopus1728]

I dunno, I bet capcom could've done a better undead nightmare. Jokes aside too true.

[@Kevin93til]

Yeah agreed. I am a big Capcom fan, but Rockstar made the most out of the RDR IP.

[@RexMckinnis]

They wouldn’t have done shit with it if it stayed at capcom

[@stephenkelley1059]

@what More like Lost Planet or Bionic Commando. Capcom at best would’ve made a sequel or two to Red Dead Revolver and then put the whole series to sleep. You have to remember that Capcom has made more IPs that didn’t really go anywhere than ones that are still around.

[@billyweed835]

I'm not sure what's worse: The idea that Brendan McNamara is lying about everything and just wanted to have control...Or that's he telling the truth, and GENUINELY BELIEVES these working conditions are "necessary".

[@lagado1lag]

He should work at china or korea. Is the best place for his mentality

[@GuySwords]

Not so funny Shit is that people like him are real in a Lot of businesses. My old Boss was striktly the SAME person mentallety wise. With quote on quote the SAME friggin phrases being used. "Yeah back in my days we have done more time at work and got paid less for it" or "Yeah we have dozens of new people waiting to get a Job at our place so well If one employe decides to leave there is another one to fill the Gap." Only that this mentallety sums up in, Well people being at 100 extra hours a month! Because everytime someone decides to leave it means you have to teach a new person all the Things the old Person had done... It was a Nightmare. "If you want a 9 to 5 Job you have to go seek somewhere Else" He told me one time i confronted him... Well yeah after making 13h that Same day... Yeah Sure f yourself Dude!

[@authurstretchygreenthing8464]

Willing to bet the latter on that one, to be honest with you. People like him believe that being intimidating to others will get you anywhere in life. Just because he's had success with that, he thinks keeping up that attitude will yield more success. If he hasn't experienced karma by the time of this upload, or by the time of this reply, he will very soon.

[@ArcturusOTE]

@@GuySwords 'Back in my days we did more for less pay' Whoever said that clearly never heard of inflation, or living costs

[@garylevine3521]

A man with a top head that bald and still tries to cling to the hair on his sides and back? It’s the latter. Only insane people do that, sane baldies give it up and shave it all off

[@mindshuffler3332]

"So Mr. McNamara, what do you have to say about the deplorable working conditions you put your employees through?" McNamara: "...Sorry, sometimes you got to shake the employees to see what game falls out."

[@Ett.Gammalt.Bergtroll]

Failing that, kick ‘em in the nuts/ovaries and rummage through the resulting throw-up.

[@Iamafishproductions]

"Now get back in that development studio and *RAISE SOME LUMPS!"*

[@supremacistdawn]

'straya, mate 👌

[@DigimontamerB]

Lol, noticed a typo. "Sorry." He ain't sorry, and from what we've seen, he'd never say it.

[@PhyreI3ird]

Better translation: "Sometimes you have to kick a baby in the mouth and vomit."

[@DoctorPorkenfries]

Unsurprising that McNamara didn't learn anything. Guys like him, who demand to be in charge of everything, never do. They are narcissists. They believe they know best, at all times, and that if people don't live up to their expectations or quit, then it just means they weren't as smart/talented/devoted/couldn't see the "big picture"/whatever.

[@jzthereaper100]

Guys like him deserve to get cancer

[@GuySwords]

@@jzthereaper100 No that would be to light for them. Trust me my ex Chef was one of those suckers and the best i can think of for him is getting paralyzed and seeing all He build Up his Life Fall right in Front of hin without him being able to save it. That would hurt people of this Kind the Most. People like namara would Work even with cancer and think it IS for saving the industrie due to sheer revelution they would bring the world. Funny Thing is that those people always think that everyone not working for them in the same branch are enemies in a war they alone have to win... It IS sick in a really Bad Bad way.

[@rynefink8195]

Well he hasn’t done anything since has he?

[@dizerik]

@@GuySwords waxc

[@facsimileq1906]

McNamara: My only regret was sending my workers home on christmas day, and not invoking the right of prima nochta with junior graduate associates. Thats how passionate i am about making the best game possible.

[@coastaldeserter]

McNamara: I should have broken Tiny Tim's other leg.

[@Ellie_deMayo]

"These work conditions make them as passionate as I am! If they're not they could just leave. But it is no different than any other industry." "That's the problem, Mr. McNamara. You could at least pay them what they are due. You are losing employees left and right." "I help to support the establishments I have mentioned--they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there." "Many can't go there; and many would rather die." "If they would rather die," said -Scrooge- McNamara, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population!"

[@themanfromthesouth1861]

@@coastaldeserter and arms for good measure

[@dariusalexandru9536]

dude you are so fucking funnny

[@kronemerj]

McNamara would be the scrooge that makes the ghosts of Christmas question their vocation

[@ElOctopodo]

8:20 On this note, let me point out that George Broussard's problem in Duke Nukem Forever was the reverse opposite to McNamara, as his employees said at the time he was "so nice and understanding nobody had the heart to tell him no" on wrong-headed decisions.

[@0000song0000]

So, the title failed, but everyone kept emotional stability and have no PTSD. 😮 I wondered why the hell Cole was always so angry on the Doubt animatios... On the Credits McNamara is credited with the script (and damn it, that poor dude who did the animations, he certainly inly knew how to animate tht temper)

[@kronemerj]

While still not ideal (obviously) given the industry horror stories like that of team bondi I think that is somewhat respectable despite how DNF actually turned out. La noir is a good game but no game is worth the amount of abuse that the devs had to deal with because of macnamara

[@bramweenink7697]

Wow McNamara should apply to EA. They'd hire him in a heartbeat

[@sandorenckell5259]

Bram Weenink or Konami

[@Moredakkamus]

Or basically any studio/software developer.

[@Razputin217]

Truly a man ahead of his time.

[@StriderVM]

@@sandorenckell5259 Actually nah. Unless hes experienced in gambling machines.

[@sandorenckell5259]

@@StriderVM Konami: So what can you offer our company? McNamara: Well, I've had experience leading video game proj- K: Do you like to publically yell at and humiliate the people working under you? M: Do I ever! K: You're hired

[@casbinwat]

"I went through it and I ended up fine" This is what abusers say when they try to justify their abusive behaviour. No, you didn't end up fine. If you did you would see how disgusting your actions are.

[@DarkFrozenDepths]

It's like he didn't realize why Rockstar cut ties with him... and why so many still speak out against him til this day. Christ, he'd fit in so well with EA that it's scary.

[@pickeljarsforhillary102]

@@DarkFrozenDepths EA Recruitment wants to know his location.

[@ByrneBaby]

If you ever wanna ice people who say crap like that, just say "no you didn't, look how close-minded you are." It'll probs just piss 'em off and no progress will be made, but at least the truth was said lol

[@UnderdogRecords91]

You know your extravagant development cycle went really out of hand when even Rockstar doesn't want anything to do with it.

[@jinxtheunluckypony]

Not gonna lie I’m legitimately surprised nobody got violent on the team. If the climax of this story was someone coming to the workplace with a knife it wouldn’t seem out of place.

[@randomtissue]

I couldn't stop staring at McNamara's hairy arms.

[@nick-playercharacter8583]

And I thought I was a yeti.

[@PHONEyah]

McNamara uses all that arm hair to crush unions

[@kissarmyrules]

At first glance I thought they were weird poorly done tribal style tattoos, then I realized that mac looks like he's half drop bear himself

[@ABeautifulEnergy]

He's clearly some form of late-stage capitalist corporate simian overseer.

[@planetschlock]

@@kissarmyrules I thought that too. I was about to ask, "so when did he find time during the dev cycle to get two full tribal sleeves?" when the terrible truth dawned on me.

[@kisubags437]

“Passionate” is always code for being a piece of shit. Companies hide horrible people behind that word because they get results...even if they destroy the employees who end up leaving.

[@djgardawubz1278]

*Press x to doubt intensifies*

[@j.peters1222]

Mr. McNamara is very fortunate he didn't drive one of his employees insane to the point his own life was in danger. I've seen people snap over a lot less.

[@xXxDarkPhantomxXx1]

McNamara: We'll pay you well and give you normal working conditons Cole: You're lying Morgan!

[@silentjoker45]

McNamara: YOU GOT ANY PROOF!

[@caldw615]

*doubt*

[@DrRAZI99]

Cole: you fuck young boys Morgan ?

[@elle2104]

Wow no wonder there was so much Anti-Union dialogue in the game lol

[@D..S..]

Unions are amazing, stfu with that Russian propaganda

[@loganshore4520]

@@dansmith1661 they also love kittens and bacon. So what?

[@crimsonking440]

@@D..S.. Some are pretty good, others are awful.

[@Bodmanford]

Developers NEED a Union

[@robertnuttall9332]

@@D..S.. conservative* propaganda.

[@Gohka]

I had no idea there was this much of a shit show behind the scenes of L.A Noire. Is too bad as I loved the game, honestly I think I enjoyed it more than any GTA or Red Dead, but I wouldn't wish those kind of working conditions on anyone.

[@makise8348]

Go away carwyn, keep your rude comments to yourself

[@Gohka]

@@MelanatedRepublican To be fair, GTA has been the same game for like 20 years, after San Andreas I was pretty burnt out of the series. Red Dead I'm sure is a very good game for some people, but for me there are few things more boring than the "wild west". L.A Noire had a very interesting and new game mechanic that actually allowed you to question people on every little detail, unlike a lot of other games where you can get a quest from someone, read something or get info from another character that tells you that guy is a murderer or something and you can never ever question them about it. Also I adored the cars in the game, there's something so much more appealing about those old 1930-50s cars than the shit we have in the modern day.

[@bigstunna2049]

Same thoughts

[@XitlalicProductions]

I don't like it more than red dead but I do love this game a lot.

[@Blaquebarbgamer]

I loved this game too ☹️

[@DanielSanchez-fs1nv]

This is it. This is the What Happened video that finally boiled my blood. I've been marathon-ing Matt's video for a while now, and after 90+ videos of funny mishaps in the industry... This is the one.

[@ominemon]

As always fantastic work Matt, more importantly thought I wanted to say thank you for bringing this to light on Wha Happun. As a resident drop bear roommate with my hand in local game development the horror stories of this prick are well earned and should be spread to anyone and everyone with a dream of making games Keep doing you and thanks again!

[@pinkpeacock313]

Why are there two identical comments here

[@davidhylton7528]

That part about getting reprimanded for being 15 minutes late irks me the most. I’ve almost been in that position myself and it’s the worst.

[@SamLemont]

I'm a supervisor within the company I work for, and I've never had to reprimand any of my team for being late, as my boss allows me to give them a grace period to show up. Usually, I keep it within 15-20 minutes, with proper excuse.

[@benironside1264]

“Almost”… ? so you were late to being reprimanded for being late? 🤪

[@Ulquiorra4163]

I can relate and can go worse. I got reprimanded for, I shit you not, punching in 1 minute late. This was AFTER the manager wouldn't stop badgering me to pay attention to her so she could dress me down after she distracted me from clocking in, infront of customers that all started berating her for her unprofessionalism, she got transferred not long after so small miracles.

[@Wolfbarr01]

@@Ulquiorra4163 oh right and they all clapped too?

[@Ulquiorra4163]

@@Wolfbarr01 Nothing nice to say? Don't talk/post

[@DaisyMaisy02]

I'm currently completing my animation degree in Sydney where I've grown up, and I used to think I'd love to be involved in the games industry. Before I started my degree I went to an open day at a different university where as a special treat for all the visiting potential students they brought in a member from Australia's branch of Bethesda. He was answering questions and since the abuse of employees at Team Bondi had been going around in the news at the time I asked him how he recommended avoiding being exploited and forced into crunch in the games industry. He seemed kinda baffled by the question and then said that in his experience most employees have their best memories during crunch, cos it really ~brings the team together~ and ~shows their passion to getting a project done~. I don't really want to work in games anymore, but hey thanks to McNamara I don't really have many options in my own country anymore so I guess that problem solves itself.

[@ljroos6565]

You're going to be hard pressed to find any industry, as an animator, where you aren't going to crunch your balls off.

[@jtinkerton2547]

I mean, he's technically not wrong. The sense of "camaraderie" or whatever you want to call it is certainly present when you're working on a busted application for 12 hours overtime straight (along with the lead) at 2AM on a Friday night because legal didn't bother to inform us that finance laws are changing until 2 days prior (I work as a programmer for cash registers). The sense is that you're pulling along with your team through tough times. It still sticks out in my mind as one of the more memorable moments. Would I do it again? Hell no - realizing on a Friday afternoon that half your weekend has been stolen by someone else's incompetence and having to cancel plans with your friends in order to bleed your eyes out over 250 excel spreadsheets is one of the most disheartening things I ever experienced. It's strange how it puts and twists itself together in your memory later on and gives you these false positive notions. Or maybe they're real. I dunno.

[@justinaysien1204]

@@jtinkerton2547 my god you trooper keep rocking man

[@ryanalegre6910]

@@ljroos6565 *Bluey: "Allow us to introduce ourselves."* Ok, that's just a joke.

[@lubu9209]

Todd Coward doesn't look anywhere near as bad as McNamara. And I'm from Baltimore (albeit a suburb thereof), where Bethesda is from.

[@MisterDutch93]

“In order to do good, you may have to engage in evil” ― Robert S. McNamara Looks like he took some ideas from his namesake.

[@GenerationWest]

I honestly didn't know that the behind the scenes WAS THAT BAD! Like, heard some bad stuff, but those 7 years made Duke Nukem Forever's development look mild.

[@spongeaang98]

That guy behind DNF actually tried treating his employees like human beings. This dude is just a douchebag.

[@neptuneplaneptune3367]

DNF was just...a cluster fuck but no one got mistreatet ore anithing. This? This is MUCH worse!

[@fishermc6pack]

Think about tho, would LA Noire been DNF quality if Macnamera wasn’t such an asshole?

[@hornetsilksong]

Bro if this guy acts like this to employees, a professional setting, I can't imagine how he is behind closed doors to his wife and kids.

[@averagejoe455]

"Rockstar was slack-jawed to find the programmer was doing the job of four people." *Presses X to Doubt*

[@wellguesswhatIthink]

Let's all laugh at an industry that never learns anything, tee-hee-hee

[@latenightgaming5057]

Silly industry. Tricks are for kids😏

[@MANOFGOD9000]

CinemaSins laugh insues...

[@epochpilot9404]

I wish he'd make more of those.

[@xmm-cf5eg]

good o'l yootzeeeee

[@_V.Va_]

That could be at least 3 companies from different mediums.

[@eloelodzimejl]

19:26 "and every other animation was done by one person" And yet he made a lot smoother animations than Bethesda on their games

[@anessenator]

Whoever did those animations needs a fuckin medal or something

[@TheNightmareMan]

Yet he did better animations than 2K games with wwe 2K20

[@Theoss-sl1fk]

He's extremely talented there

[@MohdTaufiq91]

What sucks is that LA Noire based on its setting and history of Los Angeles alone could make for FANTASTIC TIME JUMP SEQUELS! Just like how LA Noire deals with a rising corrupt postwar LA set to the backdrop of The Black Dahlia murder, you could time jump the eras for this game and still maintain that LA Noire touch as there are still noirs being made with contemporary and modern settings beyond the 50s. Think about it: LA Noire 2 should be set in 1969, where a Dity Harry-esque Detective (played either Scott Eastwood or Sebastian Stan) deals with the rough-and-tumble world of hippie Hollywood set to the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the aftermath of The Watts Riots and the murder of Sharon Tate. LA Noire 3 should be set between 1992 to 1995, where a cop turned rookie detective (played by either Michael B Jordan or Anthony Mackie) deals with rising crime in the streets of LA from Compton to Beverly Hills while his own department still grapples with the aftermath of The Rodney King riots set to the backdrop of The OJ Simpson Trial. Hell, being able to interrogate Charles Manson and chase OJ Simpson's white Bronco would've made fantastic selling points for LA Noire sequels. I can imagine the E3 demos of you shouting at Charles Manson or leading a pack of police cars to chase down OJ's White Bronco while trying to make sure that he doesn't kill himself before arriving back to his mansion. LA Noire had potential for great sequels set in different eras. I'd give my money to Rockstar just to play LA Noire 3 and then chase OJ's White Bronco. Man, this game is a wasted potential in not getting a sequel.

[@mattfahringer148]

Mohamad Taufiq Morshidi tldr

[@aagh8714]

IF THE GLOVE DOES NOT FIT, YOU MUST ACQUIT

[@JJ-ip1eo]

I agree, and there is really nothing preventing it getting a sequel. I think right now it has a lot to do with Rockstar being heavily bogged down with trying to stay on the bleeding edge of AAA gaming and only releasing one or two games per console generation.

[@kylesoler4139]

Yeah It's a shame obviously the squeals should of been headed by someone other than McNamara.

[@Theoss-sl1fk]

Seeing the current R*, I don't think would get the sequels soon

[@glacierwolf2155]

Brendan McNamara is the epitome of a _nightmare_ boss. No wonder why the studio closed after releasing L.A. Noire.

[@JetPoweredCloud]

Probably the best case for unionising in the games industry.

[@zeroeleven6551]

I second this

[@my_cellium]

workers rise up

[@megakillerx]

John-S You left-wing leaning parasite. You expect me to sit here and listen to your drivel?

[@Revealingstorm.]

@@megakillerx yes?

[@Revealingstorm.]

@@refusingtoconform preach

[@wrAIth-AI]

To everyone involved in making this game, thank you so much! (Not you, ironically hairy bald guy)

[@KaiLynkAdventures]

This one really hurt, as I was gradutating from a games degree in Australia, around the time this was in development. The mass closure of game studios was terrifying around this era. Then seeing LA Noire come out to critical praise while its studio died (albeit deservedly so) just put the nail in the coffin for a lot of us hopeful devs. I feel extra bad knowing what the team went through, since I'm sure their careers never recovered. Great video as always!

[@KaiLynkAdventures]

Xylene I kept struggling for a bit and got nowhere. I pivoted into illustration and animation and was immediately more successful.

[@GrimstoneBear2]

I feel so bad for those employees. I can’t begin to imagine the toll on their mental and physical health. I just want to give them a hug and my money for working so hard and putting out the best game they could while working in such oppressive conditions.

[@CreepsMcPasta]

God McNamara sounds like the Bridezilla of the video games industry

[@MattMcMuscles]

lol pretty much

[@kyokyoniizukyo7171]

Matt McMuscles Honestly...I would pay good money to break his teeth in...

[@CheshireCad]

McNamara: "Can't you all see how much this means to me?! Why can't you care about this as much as I do?! Why can't any of you tell the difference between eggshell and FUCKING ECRU?!" *throws down his bouquet, picks up the front of his dress, and storms off*

[@FireXConor]

CreepsMcPasta Didn’t expect to see you here!

[@jacobc8036]

CreepsMcPasta more like an abusive husband/father....it will bite hi in the ass eventually...and I can’t wait to hear about that.

[@JaredJonesAZ]

Reminds me that in the game Rimworld It's often a bad idea to have someone in your survival group that is a workaholic because they put impossible expectations and unwanted judgements on others and break morale, and often get attacked because everyone hates them.

[@facsimileq1906]

Mcnamara: To be honest the cost overruns were really due to Rockstar's micromanagement. I proposed many ideas to cut down costs and raise efficiency that they never even considered. Brilliant stuff like installing a wheel of pain that we could assign junior associates to crank 24 hours a day to power the animation department. We also proposed putting saddles and yokes on junior associates so senior management could ride them to meetings or we could attach carts to them so they could haul more paperwork. Really cutting edge stuff but rockstar was too risk averse to see how we could push up efficiency to the max. They kept talking about lawsuits and rights...

[@dustinrausch5008]

"I got that development studio running so efficiently, that all the work was being done by a single Australian man!"

[@TaoScribble]

So he's a narcissist and a workaholic, huh? These kinds of people forget that others have these things called "families" and "a life". Not everyone lives solely to work, and that's a good thing: It's not friggin' healthy on ANY level. I may not have anything in my life outside of work, but even I understand that rest is important and spouses and children would like to actually spend time with their loved ones.

[@GuySwords]

You are a rare Person then. Most people who only have their Work, live for it and think for others it is the same. Happy to see that there ACTUALLY are people who Love their work and live for it and see that it is not the case for everybody.

[@talpatv512]

Work is the only thing i have

[@Acacius1992]

Work is also the only thing i have... but It's not realy i like my work tho. It's there cause i need the money.

[@caldera11]

no you dont understand we are competing with other game devs and whoever suffers the most makes the best game the more hours you work = the better game this is how an incredibly stupid manager thinks

[@knowledgeseeker4116]

Yes unfortunately those kinds of people do forget….so I will remind those types of people who I am and what my preferences are. If they respect that great! If they don’t respect that then not so great and at that point it’s my decision to tolerate their poor decisions and find happiness regardless or just move on with my life and leave if I want to do that.

[@Pooky1991]

Yeah. The entire development hell story for this game gives the biggest argument for why the game industry needs to be unionized.

[@Harril8265]

@@amuroray88 Sorry, but that argument has more holes than Bonnie & Clyde's car.

[@calcifieddirt4120]

if that were true have you not considered that maybe an industry that only keeps from imploding if its workers are in a constant state of crunch and suffering maybe needs to be vastly reorganized

[@KyanbuXM]

@@amuroray88 Yeah that's sounds uncomfortably close to an excuse for an already troubled medium. But it is somewhat true. In a better world, videogames would probably not exist at this level of detail due to the massive amount of time and workers required to finish just one AAA game. The entire model is not work safe or sustainable for humane reasons. And may have to just be abandoned in favor of a "1 per studio per console gen" model. Or a heavy change towards using premade assets and engines rather then reinventing the wheel. And I'm not too sure about us doit a great job on the later.

[@GraceMcCown]

@@amuroray88 if causing an industry to have better working environment would cause it to crash, then let it crash. The triple a industry is cancer as it currently stands; millionaires claiming that games don't make money while they ride around in Lamborghinis, microtransaction traps meant for gambling addicts, and abusive crunch. Let the whole thing burn, it'll build back up afterwards eventually.

[@albertzinger7132]

@@amuroray88 If videogame developers and publishers can't maintain normal working conditions and affordable prices, then fuck it, let them die! Let the entire videogame industry crush!

[@ezj8262]

11:34... this is really a common attitude in California though... when it comes to the entertainment realm. I was a Set Production Assistant, worked on crafty, and worked for a short time for a music producer. While certain jobs didn't pay at all, the job which promised to reimburse my gas money, ended up only offering me about $20 for my drive "to" the set and not "from" the set. There was an attitude that they could treat us how they wanted to treat us, but yet we were not benefitting like employees.... and of course on many of these sets, there is the dangling carrot of "getting" in. There is a lot of corruption and taking advantage of people over there, politics...etc... taking but not much in the way of giving.

[@GreatGeneralZar]

Cudos to that one animator for getting the movement as decent as it was. No cudos to the company they get a finger wagging...

[@Empyre18]

This case needs to be taught in business classes as a lesson on why good working conditions and employee retention are essential, and why resigning an organization to constant churn and burnout is so short-sighted and self-defeated.

[@djlaw56what]

What a dispicable human being ive worked in conditions like that and trust me its god awful

[@SuperNuclearUnicorn]

Impressive that McNamara was able to put such a massive dent in the Aussie game development industry single-handedly. What a man!

[@FedoraKirb]

“What a man you, McNamara.”

[@SuperLlama42]

Everyone always trots out that "A delayed game is eventually good" line from Miyamoto as if giving a game infinite development time will mean everything will turn out alright eventually. LA Noire is walking proof that even if the game itself turns out alright it can still destroy everything in its wake and turn out to be not really worth the damage caused.

[@JJ-ip1eo]

In this case, it's more of a choice between total vaporware and getting the game out. Miyamoto's quote takes into account a more average work and production scenario, not one plagued of incompetence or obsessive control with near impossible goals. Also, compared to the alternative, the game turning out to be a piece of garbage, it's usually more comforting to know that there is at least something positive that came out of this mess than to have gone through hell for nothing.

[@rootyrootyson2175]

The important thing here is that the delayed game was eventually good.

[@guts2563]

Uhh it was absolutely worth it, actually? A masterpiece in gaming and storytelling.

[@rhetiq9989]

I notice McNamara says "I" a lot when expressing his opinion on crunch culture and whatnot. That alone explains his entire personality I feel

[@fearanger1]

"It's a privilege to work for us, and if you can't hack it, you should leave." Yep. That sounds like Australia, alright. Always with that "have a fair go" attitude. God I hate this place sometimes.

[@KhayJayArt]

America and Australia have a lot in common then

[@fearanger1]

@@KhayJayArt Honestly if you had to apply the term "boot licking" to a country, it'd probably be here down under.

[@Vaultboy101]

@@fearanger1 I see our cousins down under have a similar love/hate relationship with their own country.

[@wm6789]

I mean you aren’t entitled to some magical fairy land where your boss is super chill. Sorry some people just can’t work hard enough, but in the real world: might makes right. If you hate your boss quit

[@fearanger1]

@@wm6789 Yeah fair enough, but when you consider the common work ethic in your country is "pick yourself up by your bootstraps" the culture gets very competitive and expectant of workers to push themselves. That, of course, leads to employers like Brendan McNamara treating their workers like actual crap then expecting them to deal with it because that's the only way to get anywhere in the workplace sometimes. Yes, you can just quit your job if it's getting bad, but some people can't do that, like if they need rent. Employers *need* to treat their workers like human beings, otherwise they'll just chuck them out and replace them with fresh meat like they're appliances needing replacing.

[@SuggestiveGaming]

That SNES Clue music just hit me right in the nostalgia

[@doddsino]

9:02 Thanks for calling that out. I recognized the music but couldn't place it.

[@GrandmasCamera]

Any help finding the music at 17:22? Lol

[@tonynguyen7495]

Not to mention the Dick Tracy NES Music, damn I'm old.

[@DeadwingDork]

can't wait for the video on Youngue Conker, everybody's favorite Microsoft bastardization also hey, Nitro Rad knows Kingsley's Adventure

[@johnclements7828]

Also, I did the math on how many people would've come and gone in the 7 years the game was in development. On average, you're talking about 14-15 people a year, which if broken down, means that they averaged at least 1 person giving notice every month, with some months having more than that. That's a terrible rate of turnover.

[@razr9000]

This was a totally different video than I expected, but in a good way. I absolutely loved this game so I wasn't sure why it would've ended up on this video series, but after watching it I totally get it. Makes me wonder what other games out there that did really well, but had a pretty dark past behind it.

[@michaelstein7510]

Halo Wars (2009) basically caused Ensemble Studios to close after Microsoft laid them off. They did a great job, considering they got minimal help from Bungie or Microsoft, and the project wasn't even going to be a Halo RTS until about two years left until release. It was a very chaotic and depressing work environment, knowing it would be their last project. Ensemble Studios made many great RTS games in the 1990s and 2000s, including the Age of Empires series.

[@reaganation6000]

The last of us 2

[@beatleshans]

Gotta praise the one animator that works from 2008 until the launch. Such hard work is very much appriciated.

[@tomgann9383]

17:07 17:07 😮 20:00 😅😅😅

[@Arro3]

He obviously doesn’t have any regrets, some people are just like that.

[@FuriousGorge]

Yes, they're called sociopaths.

[@DTJBsd]

The quality of this series keeps getting better with each installment. Keep up the great work Matt.

[@WhatTheFnu]

Whenever I see a story like this, it makes me want to open up my own development studio, run it exceedingly well, and then rub that success in the face of every other big publisher in the world. Make tons of money while still treating my employees like human beings. Wish me luck.

[@captainmega6310]

Same goal. Best of luck

[@zacharyjohnson9269]

I can’t believe Brendan still works in the industry! It’s people like him that make me happy I didn’t pursue a career in game design. But it’s getting better. Designers have unions and other laws to protect them from assholes like that. (Depending on where your working)

[@gratuitouslurking8610]

'You know who was also ambitious? NOBUNAGAAAAAAAAAH' Aaaand I lost it.

[@MrDmackins]

Man the production of this game is the perfect example of companies sacrificing multiple employees just to keep one shitty manager. That's so dumb they could've gotten rid of him and saved so many employees

[@supersomething951]

Press X to doubt

[@cartermoth6447]

Red Dead was a different game when Capcom gave it away. It's only a "billion dollar franchise" because Rpckstar made it a western GTA clone. Capcom didn't have that.

[@DanDoesGaming2014]

I want a Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric Wha Happun’ the development of that game has always intrigued me on how such promise went down so fast

[@DanDoesGaming2014]

Especially since Sanzaru Games has done a pretty good job handling other people’s IPs (Spyro, Sly, Ratchet and Clank)

[@14112ido]

I always wondered why LA Noire's open world felt so empty back when I played it, especially compared to games like Yakuza that only has a fraction of Noire's LA area but filled to the brim with side activities. Now that I know the developer was essentially the textbook definition of "a giant red flag", it all suddenly makes sense.

[@0000song0000]

Totally, i think you can sort of feel the vibe of the workplace in L. A. Noire vs Saints Row 2 (their side activities are throwing poop and being a pimp) 😂

[@Reck]

Delighted to support your content on Patreon. Everything you have made is superb quality.

[@moonlalune8003]

Now you're one of my favorite game related, content makers in youtube. Superb work.

[@Sharingandud]

It's super sad to hear that not only has McNamara learned nothing, he still works in the industry ready to put more people through hell.

[@EldritchKraken]

i want shorter games with worse graphics made by people who are paid more to work less and i'm not kidding

[@blaznpookie]

May you please do a story on MGSV and/or God Hand? EDIT: Story*

[@smittywerbenjagermanjensen4737]

I feel like metal gear survive would be better for what happened

[@08brownt]

I don't know if theres enough behind-the-scenes information about MGSV to figure out what happened there

[@vicount3944]

@@08brownt Especially when Kojima keeps saying that the game is exactly as he wanted it to be, and not unfinished as people say.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

@@smittywerbenjagermanjensen4737 Or even MGS4. That's well traveled ground by this point, though

[@Dudofall]

I thought he did a video on God Hand, but I can't find it anywhere...

[@shotguncrucifix]

Matt, your writing is great. You've always excelled in video, both with a partner(s) and as a solo act. You really came into your own around the time of the Why I Like the Thing Bloodborne video.

[@jasonramirez5312]

I’ve never understood why game developers don’t unionize like there’s so much bs in the industry that people have to put up with

[@jerm70]

Unions do not work in general these days. There is a kid in China who would gladly take your programming job if you aren't interested and they will ship it ASAP no matter the bugs.

[@peterbeck88]

Matt McMuscles: Nobody's heard of Kingsley's Adventure. Nitro Rad: Hold my beer.

[@loganbigmo]

So that's why _L.A. Noire_ never got a sequel & why Team Bondi shut down after releasing just one game. I had no clue the game was in development & had been announced for that long.

[@andrewkaye2108]

I played the newer re-done versions. I have to say, I was impressed, from the title screens buzzing neon sign, to the detective work involved, to the reproduction of 1940's L.A., the game had that noire feel like the old movies that inspired it. I will say though, I can see the criticism of it being an open world with not much to do. There were random crimes, outside of the main story that you could engage in, (which makes sense to me that is all it did, because it is a game about being a police officer, so most of your activities should be in fighting crime) but NPC's in the game would not do much except walk around on the streets. It was a shame that those who worked on it were treated so poorly And that McNamara is still working in the industry.

[@BlackScream77]

Im torn between loving LA noire for its story and gameplay, and hating it for what its development has done to peoples lives and the hell they had to go through.

[@xxxaragon]

I mean, tbf, I would assume that many of those that have worked so incredibly hard on this game would be bothered even more if it had been "for nothing".

[@DaRealBruner]

I'd say keep loving the game, playing the game, and recommending it for others to play, regardless of the messy development it went through. It'd be a great disservice to all the people who had to suffer through all this bullshit if all their hard work went to waste. They made a fantastic game that still stands the test of time.

[@whensomethingcriesagain]

14:45 Interesting fact, in the game industry this isn't even considered crunch anymore, once the deadlines start moving and the scope expanding while the overtime doesn't stop, it's no longer crunch, it's a Death March

[@tedtedsworth4656]

I'm having a hard time knowing why Matt hasn't covered Brink. The game so bad that I haven't bought a single new release since. The game so bad that I stopped playing games for almost a year. Brink hurt me. Brink hurt me bad.

[@jarmakey1]

Shhh it's okay boo boo. We all have those heartbreaking moments. When I lost all my saves on my console I stopped playing games for 2yrs.

[@batmangovno]

I really hope that one animator got his recognition and got work at a studio that pays and treats employees well. The amount of work done alone is a sign of talent, professionalism and perseverance.

[@MonkeyBone316v1]

Hey, I hear that Dick Tracy Nintendo music in the background! Excellent choice, clever, and very fitting.

[@jonathangarmuth8975]

That's just la noire's score

[@TheLastBabyMan]

You bring up our old friend Mr. Crunch but it's never Crunch Bandicoot.

[@TaragonHelos]

This melted Mr. Clean standee seriously tried to turn that crunch time question into a matter of employee effort? lmfao "I slept less than six hours" "YA WELL SHOULDA TOOK THAT BLUE COLLAR JOB SWEATY, WE'RE ALL ON THAT GRIND ;)"

[@KrisBailey]

I really wish we could stop narcissists from getting higher management positions...The world would be a much better place.

[@dusklunistheumbreon]

There's an easy way to negate the negative effects, at least. Unionize every fucking industry. It's the only way to stop *this* shit from continuing to happen.

[@Paragoth]

I'm glad we're working past the days of gamer-gate where I can actually look at game retrospectives and get some labor politics. Good shit Matt, I love this series.

[@onc3alegend]

I'm happy that I came across your channel. After watching a good amount of your videos, it makes me happy to see there is another person out there who is calling out the BS that a lot of video game companies, mostly AAA companies, think they can get away with. Not only are these videos helpful to make people aware of the things that these bad companies do, but it is helpful in showing new upcoming developers on what NOT to do and it is also helpful for those looking for jobs to be cautious of companies like these that do horrible and shady business practices. Keep up the great work, Matt!

[@Shadowfox0]

Can we please get a video on The Order 1886? Huge disappointment of a game

[@ABThom12]

Shadowfox0 cause it was 5 minutes long? Lol

[@melonboi927]

Oof I totally forgot about that game

[@ninjawhiteguy]

That's a good idea

[@gibberibberish8235]

was there really a story behind that though, or was it just an uninspired and lackluster game made to sell hardware?

[@Rawnblade13]

Wasn't that 'game' (and I use that term very generously) just a tech demo?

[@The_Kentuckian]

Now I feel awful for considering LA Noire as one of my favorite games.

[@jonathangarmuth8975]

It's a great concept and a really good game. It could have been even better if it wasn't developed by the madman.

[@Cure_Hana]

Sometimes it’s important to separate the art from the artist. Sure, the boss of the studio was a complete dickhead, but I think the other workers deserve props for actually being able to trudge through the bullshit and put their all into this game.

[@anonneymous9949]

Dont be. Truth be told, this is normal for AAA games development. Try be a japanese working under Hideo Kojima. I bet this compares to heaven. Thankfully industries are better nowadays due to steady money provided by DLC anf subscription.

[@veronicasarinana9931]

@@anonneymous9949 wait kojima is also an asshole?

[@jaspermcminnis5538]

I always hear of Kojima having a massive ego, but I wasn't sure if it was actually true. Someone please explain how he's an asshole.

[@delta7115]

I don't know how much of a story there is behind it, but Vexx? My 2nd cousin actually worked on it so I might be able to get you his email.

[@Unotuchable]

Wasn't Vexx just rushed out and unfinished?

[@erichopkinsable]

When I was first looking for a software job I resisted the siren call of game dev and went into business software instead. Best decision of my life. As soon as you have to impose a "crunch", it should be an indication that you've failed at managing your project and you should be kicked out of the industry. It's appalling that game companies consider crunching to be just a normal part of business.

[@charliesmash]

Lol, I’m sure you would have the perfect plan and management strategies.

[@hamishcoles1379]

McNamara had a Bondi body? Why is it called a Bondi body? Because its pretty far from Manly hahaha australian geography hahaha

[@GreatChicken2]

So many McNamarras in the game industry. I've spent my stints in it being requested to solo the development of "titles that should match AAA quality" because someone else has done it before and it shouldn't be too hard. The McNamarras typically style themselves Creative Directors, and regard their jobs as simply to think of ideas then ask other people to do them. It's left me a sour taste on the industry, skepticism on any person who is a "creative director", but also a healthy respect for any good game out there. I still play games, but I'm not sure I wanna make them anymore.

[@mrtomfox]

As a person who has worked some bullshit hours and in bullshit conditions, when you hear the words "well technically we don't have to give that [overtime/breaks/workplace conditions]" in response to grueling work, then you're working at a real shit company

[@justanotheryoutubechannel]

This whole story is just ridiculous, it’s incredible how they genuinely believed a constant crunch period was a good solution, but the most shocking thing is that people put up with it. Maybe I don’t have the same work ethic as most developers but fuck that, I would’ve left exactly when I was paid to and turned up exactly when I was meant to, and if they gave me enough trouble for it then I would just walk out. Some people are just crazy with what they will put up with.

[@KentaroMiyamoto21]

Interesting story. Also, wouldn't the 'pain bush' be part of deadly everything?

[@MattMcMuscles]

The pain bush doesn't kill you though.

[@mindshuffler3332]

@@MattMcMuscles The pain bush wants to keep you alive so that it can see your suffering. Australia is like the Hard Mode of life

[@jack3122]

The pain bush has pushed people to suicide though! One famous story is of a poor army guy, who tried using it as toilet paper, or so it is thought. He was found with a terrible rash in an awkward place and his own bullet through his head.

[@scottreviewsbricks]

That instant hotel reference was gold. Watching both seasons taught me not only how to have a successful airbnb but also popular locations and destinations down under. You get a follow for that.

[@vDomMusic]

One of my favourite games of all time. I knew development was a mess and that we are never getting a sequel but holy shit. I didn't realise there was such a horrible story complete with a fucking villain.

[@rekc_bcq4816]

I’ve never hated someone so quickly before. I don’t hate people usually. This is a rare case where I’d want to punch someone as soon as I met them

[@mattfahringer148]

Man I remember hearing about a sequel to the game set in New York. Sad it never happened

[@fritzkaraldo8452]

What? The second games was to be set in Shanghai.

[@Dentonas1237]

So, the second game had to be called N.Y Noire

[@rangel20]

4:19 I don't know why, but the switch from LA Noire's epic sounding music to NES Dick Tracy's cheesy soundtrack was hilarious to me.

[@MrMaxABuck]

When I played and finished LA Noire on PC some years after it launched, I became obsessed with it. I love games that are based in that era and would really like to see a sequel (or prequel). Does anyone know any more on the Whore Of The Orient project? I wonder what it would cost to fund the development of it.

[@Controllerhead]

This hits different in 2024, like every game takes 7 years now, riddled with bugs, slop and day 1 patches with an overprioritization on insanely complicated graphics. Basically, LA Noire was our future 😥

[@AmorphousBeast]

Skullgirls soundtrack had me hooked, great work Matt

[@fhs4137]

This has been my first encounter with this channel, but I'm sold. Great production value, plus I've always been partial to the medium-long form KZbin format for quality over quantity.