Another team has decided to abandon remote work and require everyone to work in the office instead of from home.

MachineGames‘ next project is shrouded in mystery. Their latest release was Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, but what’s next? Presumably, it will be Wolfenstein 3. In a recent interview with GamesIndustry, MachineGames studio director Jerk Gustafsson reiterated that they will one day make Wolfenstein 3, even if it is not their next project. Gustafsson said that it had always been their intention to return to Wolfenstein. They want to finish the trilogy. When they do, Gustafsson won’t comment on it. Maybe now, maybe later, but they haven’t finished yet, and that’s all he can say.

Gustafsson has expressed similar sentiments before. In September, in the NoClip documentary about the making of Wolfenstein, Gustafsson confirmed that the studio had always viewed Wolfenstein as a trilogy. He added that the studio still had more to say about B.J. Blazkowicz. In January, Windows Central and Kotaku hinted that Wolfenstein 3 was already in development, although the stage of development is unclear. Gustafsson’s new comments are further evidence that the studio has not finished the Wolfenstein series. However, they raise the possibility that MachineGames‘ next game will not be the third installment. It will likely still be released as part of the Wolfenstein franchise, especially if Microsoft and MachineGames coordinate development with the Wolfenstein TV series currently in production at Amazon MGM Studios. Two years ago, there was a rumor that the studio was working on a project unrelated to Indiana Jones or the next BJ Blazkowicz installment. Their next project could be that game, unless it was canceled last year.

Meanwhile, MachineGames is moving closer to a full transition to in-office work. The studio has asked senior staff to spend five days a week at the office. The studio currently operates under a hybrid system that includes three days in the office and two days working from home. This system was introduced during the pandemic. However, senior employees are now expected to work in the office full-time. This approach is one reason the company recently opened a new office in northern Sweden, to support its team members there.

“We start with leadership. Our leads are required to be in the office five days a week because we’ve found that more people generally follow suit when they see leadership in the office. From my point of view and from MachineGames’ point of view, we see ourselves as an in-office studio because we know we’re much more efficient and collaborative when we’re in the office together. It improves how we operate. It’s easier to handle things face-to-face than working isolated from home,” Gustafsson said.

His comments came in response to widespread criticism of Ubisoft’s announcement that it is requiring all employees to return to the office full-time as part of its ongoing restructuring. Gustafsson did not comment on this policy but noted that in Sweden, the requirement is often less strict because many employees live closer to their workplace than in the US. Return-to-work policies of varying strictness have previously been introduced by Electronic Arts, Rockstar, and Two Point Studios. According to Gustafsson, office presence supports MachineGames‘ flat structure and policy of cross-disciplinary dialogue. This fosters a culture of conversation and debate, helping them create stronger games where everyone feels comfortable putting forward ideas or giving feedback.

The studio’s approach contrasts with that of PowerWash Simulator developer FuturLab. FuturLab‘s CEO, Kirsty Rigden, recently told GamesIndustry that she would never ask her employees to return to the office full-time. However, she acknowledged that remote work makes it difficult to keep employees feeling connected to each other.

Source: WCCFTech, Gamesindustry, Gamesindustry