Employees of Team17, the developer of the Worms game and the publisher of indie games, are unhappy with the situation in the company. They complain about the high workload, low wages and months of overtime. If the situation does not change, they say, the studio will lose valuable personnel.
Dissatisfaction among employees rose after the scandal that the company faced when trying to launch Worms NFT. Last week, Team17 management announced plans to release collectible non-fungible tokens. The decision was coolly received by both game fans and studio partners such as Ghost Town Games, Aggro Crab, Playtonic, The Game Kitchen and SMG, who said they wanted nothing to do with NFT. Aggro Crab went even further and urged the developers not to do business with Team17 at all.
Faced with harsh criticism, management backtracked on their plan, but, according to company employees, this case vividly illustrates the fact that top managers "lost contact" with employees. So, after the announcement of the Worms NFT, employees were ordered to keep their opinions about this initiative to themselves.
“While Team17 cannot control what employees post on their social media or other public channels, remember that as a member of Team17, you represent the company and its reputation. Public criticism or exposure of Team17 and its partners in an unfavorable light may result in disciplinary action.”
People were also outraged that management did not apologize for the flurry of insults that ordinary employees were subjected to after the announcement of the NFT.
“Top managers decided to do an incredibly stupid thing without thinking about those who will bear the brunt of their decisions. They didn't apologize to the staff, not even to the public relations people who were abused."
The incident was an occasion for Team17 employees to talk about long-standing problems - toxic management, huge workloads and low wages. As Eurogamer recalls, Team17 develops its own games, including those from the Worms series, and also publishes many indie games such as Yooka-Laylee and Yoku's Island Express. Team17 released seven games in 2020, including Moving Out by SMG and Going Under by Aggro Crab. In 2021, there were already eight releases. The increase in workload has led to an increase in workload and hasty releases; According to employees, Team17 signed too many game deals, including titles with a strict deadline that were supposed to be released, regardless of the degree of completion. As a result, the product came out completely “raw”. Team17 testers claim that they tried to report problems to management, but releases were not delayed and problems were not resolved.
“It's hard on the team and it's affecting their morale. People are proud to work on Team17 projects. It's a shame to see how their work suffers, and the reputation of the studio is falling, ”the employees say.
Part of the staff, including the testing department, complains about the low salary. Several people who have recently left the company have said they have taken on a similar position at another studio with a salary of around £10,000 more. In addition, according to employees, the company did not pay overtime. Due to the high number of games being released, many stayed at work for free several days a week and worked weekends every evening for several months to meet deadlines.
Many employees say that the company's toxic environment has developed around CEO Debbie Bestwick. They note sudden layoffs - when an employee was called in for a conversation and demanded to immediately leave the workplace. Some conversations with the leader were brought to tears.
“If you're overworked, you're missing out on something,” muses one employee. “And when something is missing, Debbie will call you.”
Bestwick, according to employees, also does not pay attention to problems within the company.
“Debbie tweets a lot about being a woman in the gaming industry and yet harassment happens at her company and no one responds to it. It’s impossible that she didn’t see people complaining about their salary - some employees skip lunch at work to save money and can’t afford to turn on the heating at home. She really doesn't know, nobody tells her? Or does she just not care?
Many Team17 employees are hoping for the best after joining former PlayStation chief executive Michael Pattison, who vowed to refocus on product quality over quantity. Eurogamer notes that for many, Team17 was the first job after college, colleagues were the second family, and working on video games was the dream of their lives. However, without change, the company will lose talent.
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