Michael Pachter Apologizes for Team Bondi Comments

Outspoken analyst Michael Pachter apologizes for his comments about Team Bondi employees not being entitled to overtime pay.

Back in July, industry analyst Michael Pachter prompted no small amount of outrage when he said that Team Bondi employees who complained about not being paid for the extra hours they put in during the crunch phase on L.A. Noire were in the wrong line of work. “If you’re getting into the industry, you are going to work plenty of hours,” he said. “If your complaint is you worked overtime and didn’t get paid for it, find another profession.”

But the ugly implosion of Team Bondi on the heels of what should have been a moment of triumph, followed by news that former employees are owed more than $1 million in unpaid wages and bonuses, has caused Pachter to change his tune. “Team Bondi bankruptcy embarrassing, especially with overworked employees left unpaid. Crunch complaints fair if workers unpaid. I apologize,” he wrote on Twitter.

It’s not exactly a complete turnaround – it’s safe to assume that Pachter still believes that game developers will sometimes have to suck it up and take one for the team – but props to the man for admitting he was off-base on this one. There’s an awfully big difference between working extra unpaid hours and working straight-up unpaid.