Grand Theft Auto 5 has become one of the most popular games during the start of coronavirus self-isolation and quarantines. But that doesn't make developer Rockstar immune from the same issues everyone else is facing. Today the studio's leadership announced that it was taking appropriate actions to protect the health of Rockstar game developers. The statement confirms that Rockstar has implemented "work from home policies" across all studios this past week.
In a message posted to Twitter on Sunday morning, Rockstar announced its efforts to combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. "After significant research and consultation," Rockstar spent the last week putting into action remote work solutions globally. Rockstar Studios currently includes 8 different subsidiary studios, with locations in India, England, Canada, and the USA.
Note that just because Rockstar is putting its "work from home policies" into action doesn't mean that every single employee gets to work from home, and the policies were not made public. They could be severely limited, for all anyone knows, but most likely Rockstar simply evaluates which jobs can be performed from home and sent them out. In other words, fans will just have to trust that Rockstar's doing the right thing. Rockstar did notably respond to crunch allegations positively in the recent past.
For those that might be worried that the coronavirus could harm or impede the support and development of Rockstar's games, Rockstar addresses this in their message. "Our online games will continue to operate as usual," is the heart of Rockstar's message. Even prioritizing the health and safety of its employees, Rockstar says that "all support teams will remain available."
The last bit of Rockstar's message is one of empathy for its fans. "We appreciate your patience and understanding, and wish you and your families the best of health during this unusual time." Hopefully, Rockstar's fans will extend the same empathy toward Rockstar's studios during this tumultuous time.
Long story short, both Grand Theft Auto Online and Rockstar's other games, as well as development on whatever other projects Rockstar currently has going, continues. Rockstar is, however, taking the coronavirus seriously and has implemented its work from home policies over the past week. This is to prioritize the health of Rockstar's employees, as well as the communities they live in. Rockstar doesn't say when these policies will be reversed, but that's understandable given the unpredictable duration of the virus going forward.
Grand Theft Auto Online is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.