Games and the WarnerMedia organisation during this period in particular. We were able to find new ways to communicate and operate, in a spirit of inventiveness and problem-solving which has always been a strength at TT. “But of course there was an impact on our work, as we learned and adapted, with extra time required to look after others and sustain family life in a time of shared challenge. Just processing and planning around the changing contexts for work and society took a lot of energy. We were clear with everyone throughout that their health and wellbeing were the company’s top priorities – and we had to adjust our schedule accordingly.”
THE FUTURE
The main thing to hope for out of all of this, of course, is for these long-standing concerns with the working conditions at TT Games to be adequately addressed. The Skywalker Saga is an exceptional achievement, and one the studio should be proud of, even if it cannot be proud of the conditions under which it was created. Despite a number of employees reportedly leaving TT Games since the start of 2021, the studio still hosts some exceptionally talented developers, and we certainly hope to see what they’re able to produce under better conditions in the future. Despite its painful development, The Skywalker Saga truly deserves to be considered among the best Star Wars games ever created. We asked what lessons the studio will take forward from The Skywalker Saga - both the positives and the negatives. “The lesson that quality will always win out stands as a guiding light for all our future plans. We love videogames; we’re proud to be working in this most exciting creative medium, and believe passionately that players deserve the very best experiences. The effort and investment required to see this project through
required a huge commitment to that ideal from the team and all our stakeholders – and we couldn’t be happier that it’s paid off.
“Speaking on behalf of the wider TT Games management team, I know that we’re all resolved to continue with work to ensure that we never take that commitment for granted, and that we actively ensure all our staff are properly balancing work and life in a way that’s healthy and sustainable. That’s something we should have expressed and acted on more clearly in the past at TT – but we emerge from this last project having achieved our highest ever review scores with a stronger than ever set of policies, processes and resources to support personal wellbeing, in a supportive and collaborative culture.” It is, for many reasons, a terrible shame that The Skywalker Saga needs to be discussed in this context. Whatever the devevelopers went through during the game’s development, they have achieved the remarkable and re-told the Star Wars saga better than any other game to date. That’s without even mentioning the extent to which The Skywaler Saga is also the perfect LEGO game. To achieve all of that in the franchise that set the studio off on its LEGO journey feels somewhat of a poetic conclusion. “That’s a very generous comment, which we deeply
appreciate,” says Smith. “With deference to the work of our Story, Cutscene and Design teams who architected and executed that story-telling. LEGO Star Wars certainly feels like the landmark we set out to build – but by no means the end of anything. Landmarks show us both how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve still to go, as we look to new horizons ahead. We couldn’t be more excited about the future.
June 2022 MCV/DEVELOP | 81
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