On paper, working at Rockstar Studios sound like a dream. Craft in-depth narratives, gorgeous worlds, thrilling combat—what more could a developer want? Unfortunately, allegations of employee misconduct have stirred about for years. With Red Dead Redemption 2 just ten days away, a former employee went to Twitter to post his own Rockstar horror story.

Job J Stauffer previously worked for Rockstar and Telltale Games, so he knows what terrible management looks like. (What does it say that he spoke out against Rockstar but not Telltale?) Developers across the world have lambasted their former employers for unfair work conditions. In a response to Jason Schreier on Twitter, Stauffer gave his story on the environment at Rockstar.

“It’s been nearly a decade since I parted from Rockstar, but I can assure you that during the GTA IV era, it was like working with a gun to your head 7 days a week. ‘Be here Saturday & Sunday too, just in case Sam or Dan come in, they want to see everyone working as hard as them.’”

Not specific enough? Stauffer’s second anecdote provides more concrete info.

“There was an instance in 08 or 09 when I legitimately had THE FLU. Needed a day off. Went to Drx, got an Rx for Tamiflu, had an allergic reaction, tweeted a photo, then got put on notice for not coming in to work and ‘fooling around on twitter’ instead. True story. Fucking crazy.”

All of this comes after Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser told Vulture that their employees worked 100 hour work weeks. He and his brother Sam have also been sued by a former business partner and trashed by former employees. In an effort to save face, Houser attempted to clarify his Vulture interview over on Kotaku. In the statement, he claims that only the four senior writers worked those long hours, and that he didn’t expect anyone else to do so. This statement goes directly against Stauffer’s tweet and stories from around the gaming industry.

Rockstar would be far from alone if they pressured employees into overwhelming work schedules. The Crunch is very real. That being said, Houser expects us to believe that one of the largest gaming studios in history does business the right way. Come on. That’s like believing that Lance Armstrong was the one clean cyclist in a sport notorious for doping. You think those horse testicles are going to animate themselves on days off? Absurd work hours have been an open secret around the gaming industry since forever. Developers work untold hours, come in on Sundays, and refuse to stay home when they’re sick out of fear of losing their jobs and recs for the next project.

We’ll see if those 100-hour work weeks paid off in ten days when Red Dead Redemption 2 drops. And let’s hope those teams are ready for more unpaid overtime; Red Dead 3 and Bully 2 might be on their way.

Do you believe Stauffer or Houser? Do you have any game development horror stories? Let us know in the comments, and follow DFTG on Facebook and Twitter!