It has been clear the development of LA Noire was troubled, with the International Game Developers Association recently describing reports of working conditions at Team Bondi, the Australian studio behind the game, as "absolutely unacceptable." Emails revealed to industry site GamesIndustry.biz have laid bare more troubles at the house responsible for the development of the most expensive game ever to come out of the antipodean nation.
"I've heard a lot about Rockstar's disdain for Team Bondi, and it has been made quite clear that they will not publish Team Bondi's next game," an unnamed source said to GI.biz. "Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like 'Rockstar Sydney'--the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea."
The leaked emails detail the frustrations of senior management, with studio head Brendan McNamara saying "I'll never forget being treated like an absolute **** by these people," in reference to L.A. Noire branding that omitted Team Bondi branding. The emails also confirm the issues with working conditions that had been previously reported, with seven-day weeks of 12-hour days being standard in early 2009, more than two years before the game's eventual release.
L.A. Noire was first revelated in 2004, and was initially rumoured to be PlayStation exclusive; Rockstar snapped up the title in 2006. Speaking at the time, McNamara said, "The longstanding mutual respect and the combined experience between the two of us make this a great partnership."
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