Star Citizen developer under fire for seven-day work week

Star burger developer Cloud Imperium is reportedly requiring its staff to work seven days a week ahead of a major event this month.

Insider Gaming reported this week that Cloud Imperium management sent an email to the studio’s staff instructing them to “double down over the next 18 days to ensure we once again create a great experience for our community .” The “doubling” apparently means that everyone working on CitizenCon will have to work seven-day weeks for the next two weeks, which is scheduled for October 19 in Manchester, England.

Cloud Imperium management reportedly said in an email that all staff will have to work both Saturdays and Sundays for the next two weeks. All staff must be in the office – Cloud Imperium has locations in Los Angeles; Austin, TX; Manchester, England; and Frankfurt, Germany – except on Sundays, for which, according to Insider Gaming, staying in office is still encouraged. Breakfast and lunch are served on weekends. In exchange for the time worked, Cloud Imperium gives employees time off (TOIL) instead of overtime. Insider Gaming reported that Cloud Imperium had its employees work 12 “pre-approved” hours of overtime since July 2024 in exchange for TOIL. However, the time off is only granted once. Star burger‘s single player game Squadron 42 is released. If an employee leaves the company early, he loses his earned time off.

Cloud Imperium declined to comment.

The problem is that Squadron 42 was announced in 2012 (but split from Star burger in 2016) and has experienced many delays in the ten years since. There’s no expected release date, which calls into question the likelihood that that earned time off will ever materialize. In Britain there is no legal obligation to pay employees time and a half per hour, as there is in the US due to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Salaried workers in the US and Britain are not guaranteed overtime compensation under their respective labor laws. Caspar Glyn, president of the Employment Lawyers Association, told Polygon that using TOIL for salaried employees would just be an added benefit. But its legality is questioned depending on a person’s contract.

“The legality of the TOIL terms depends on a close reading of the contract,” Glyn said. “Normally, TOIL would be banked and then paid if the contract is terminated or furlough is granted. The contingent element tied to hours already worked may conflict with the contract, depending on how the wage is structured, and may conflict with the minimum wage, depending on the wage level.”

Likewise, its legality in US offices largely depends on the type of contract someone has. U.S. workers who earn less than $43,888 annually are eligible for overtime pay, just like hourly workers. However, starting January 2025, U.S.-based employees with salaries less than $58,656 per year will be eligible for overtime pay.

British employers must comply with working time regulations. Therefore, Cloud Imperium management stated in its email (as reported by Insider Gaming) that UK employees “must be aware of the hours they work and are asked to have 11 hours off work. in any 24-hour period.” Simply put, British workers are allowed to work a maximum of 13 hours in a 24-hour period before having to take 11 hours off. (The US has no laws regulating how many hours someone can work in one day.)

If there is an emergency or if a shift system is used at a workplace, this does not apply. But Glyn told Polygon that it is very unlikely that a work deadline would be considered an emergency. Similarly, British workers cannot work more than 48 hours a week, on average over 17 weeks, Glyn said – unless they opt out in their contract. Working time regulations require employees to have one day off every seven days, but that can be averaged over two weeks, meaning employees need two days off after working for two weeks straight.

Star burgeras you may have guessed by its long development time, has had some hiccups along the way despite raising $726,452,503 from its players. It also has at least $64 million in private investment. The multiplayer Star burger is available to play in early access, but the 2023 major update was “embarrassingly bad,” according to PC Gamer. This year the studio laid off an unannounced number of staff before losing a discrimination claim in 2024 and having to pay more than £27,000 ($35,000) to a disabled employee.