Cuphead The delicious last course has been hoped for by gamers for years. Announced in 2018 for a 2019 release, the title eventually endured a long string of postponements before releasing to our home consoles on June 30th. The cause of these delays? The studio’s ambition to provide its employees with a safe and positive environment, away from stress and harassment.
Employee health ahead of Cuphead’s future
In a world where it’s become commonplace to read about the suffering of development teams, it’s an anomaly to see a small studio defying devastating industry practices. According to Maja Moldenhauer, however, there is resistance within the MDHR studio. Because if the company never stopped pushing back the DLC Cuphead
“The number one priority, especially with COVID, has been to keep everyone happy. These are video games. Take your time”. says the studio’s founder in Columns d’IGN. A philosophy that she starts from and that she would like to spread throughout the industry. “Mental health had to be the focus and take the time it needed, especially in the last two years.”
Of course, this position in Studio MDHR’s calendar is not insignificant. Cuphead The delicious last course was planned for 2019 and finally released 3 years later. A problem for society? Not at all, as she states unequivocally: “If the game takes longer to release, it takes longer. Who cares ?”
A human scale
Why is this mentality so different than what we may otherwise hear in the industry? For Maja Moldenhauer, it’s all about Studio MDHR’s corporate culture. A healthy culture based in particular on the size of the teams and their past experiences.
Respect for each other, love and support. Things we didn’t get in our old jobs. Eventually we received some but at the end of the day there was a result commitment.
As part of the release of Cuphead, the studio founder also states that he is not afraid to sell. If they are there, that will be a great thing. But if not? Then the teams just happily shared their art with the world and invested in a worthwhile venture.
And for that alone, we wish this delicious Cuphead DLC every success!
