Cloud Imperium, the developer behind Star Citizen, has allegedly required its employees to put in a full week’s work every seven days leading up to a major milestone this month.
Insider Gaming recently disclosed that Cloud Imperium’s management sent a memo to staff members, directing them to “double down” and work intensively over the next 18 days to ensure they deliver an exceptional experience for their community. The reported “doubling down” involves mandatory seven-day workweeks for employees working on CitizenCon, which is slated for October. 19 in Manchester, England.
According to a purported email from Cloud Imperium’s administration, all staff members are expected to dedicate their Saturdays and Sundays for the next fortnight, with no exceptions. Cloud Imperium requires all employees to work on-site at one of its locations in Los Angeles, Austin, Texas, Manchester, England, or Frankfurt, Germany, except on Sundays when a virtual office is permitted. Weekend meals may include breakfast and lunch options. In exchange for their hard work on that project, Cloud Imperium has agreed to provide employees with a day off in lieu (TOIL) as an alternative to overtime pay. According to Insider Gaming, Cloud Imperium has allegedly permitted employees to log 12 pre-authorized overtime hours, equivalent to an additional 16 days per year, in exchange for Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) since July 2024. The break day, however, may be granted solely upon the launch of their single-player game. Employees who leave the corporation before exhausting their allocated break days will forfeit those accrued benefits?
Cloud Imperium declined to remark.
Although initially launched in 2012 with a subsequent split from its parent company in 2016, has encountered numerous setbacks throughout the past decade, leading to significant delays. Without a specific launch date, the prospect of an earned break seems increasingly uncertain, casting doubt on whether it will ultimately materialize. In the UK, there is no statutory obligation to compensate hourly-paid employees with time and a half, unlike in the US. due to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Salaried employees are unlikely to receive overtime pay exceeding federal regulatory thresholds in the United States. in accordance with each country’s specific labour laws and regulations in the UK. According to Caspar Glyn, the Affiliation chair of Employment Attorneys, salaried employees may view compensatory time off (TOIL) as a means to increase their earnings, rather than a remedy for excessive overtime work? The legitimacy of the arrangement remains uncertain, contingent upon the terms of a person’s contractual agreement.
“Glyn notes that determining whether the TOIL phrases are enforceable hinges on a thorough examination of the underlying contract.” Generally, accrued TOIL is payable upon contract termination or activation of a break period? The potential contingency linked to hours worked may compromise the contractual agreement depending on the payment structure, thereby potentially violating the minimum wage threshold based on prevailing pay scales.
The legal status of CBD in the United States remains ambiguous despite being derived from industrial hemp, which is federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill. Places of work often rely heavily on the type of contract an individual has in place. Salaried staff within the U.S. Staff members earning less than $43,888 per year and hourly employees are eligible for overtime pay. As of January 2025, U.S.-based employees earning less than $58,656 annually will become entitled to overtime compensation.
U.Okay. Employers must adhere to the Working Time Regulations, as highlighted in an email from Cloud Imperium’s administration, according to reports by Insider Gaming, referencing UK. Workers are required to monitor their working hours, with a minimum of 11 hours outside of paid labor within each 24-hour period. Simply put, the UK requires this level of work-life balance. Staff members can work up to 13 hours in a 24-hour period, allowing them to take an 11-hour break before they would typically start their shift. (The U.S. Does not have any legal guidelines that dictate the maximum daily working hours for an individual.
In exceptional circumstances, such as emergencies or offices operating on a shift-based schedule, these guidelines do not apply. Glyn cautions that game feeds should not treat “work deadlines as emergencies.” Staff are capped at working no more than 48 hours per week, averaged over a 17-week period, as noted by Glyn; however, individuals can opt out of this contractual agreement if they so choose. While Working Time Regulations stipulate that employees are entitled to a day’s leave every seven days, this can be averaged over a two-week period, implying that staff typically take two consecutive days off after 14 days of continuous work.
Despite successfully raising $726,452,503 from players, the project experienced unexpected difficulties along the way, leading to a prolonged development period. The billionaire’s net worth boasts a substantial sum of at least $64 million in personal investments alone. While the multiplayer mode’s early access phase offers an opportunity for gamers to jump in early, a significant update scheduled for 2023 has raised concerns over its “embarrassingly dangerous” nature, according to PC Gamer. Last year, the studio abruptly let go an unspecified number of employees before settling a discrimination claim in 2024 and being ordered to pay over $35,000 to a disabled worker, a sum exceeding £27,000.
