Game developers don't stay in business by being great places to work. They stay in business by staying afloat long enough to get one .. more .. game to market. I know Firaxis (makers of Civilization) has at least once laid off large parts of their development crew once the game is substantially complete.

Some shops are doing well and are crunch free. Not sure at the AAA level yet, but definitely at the big indie level.

I’m glad to hear that seeing as “big indie” is where all the best gameplay innovation tends to come from. Many AAA titles are actually quite dull and repetitive affairs. They get wrapped in a super pretty and eye candy laden veneer so you don’t notice the underlying mechanics and gameplay are actually exactly the same as the previous 400 entries of whatever franchise