Layoffs reported at Worms maker Team17

Team17 staff have reported a round of layoffs, as the Worms developer and indie game publisher seeks to restructure its business.

Staff were told of the changes at 4pm this Friday afternoon in a mandatory all-hands meeting, those who were present told Eurogamer.

Impacted team members include those in the company’s art and design teams, Eurogamer understands, as the company shifts its focus further towards its publishing side, and external development of its own IP.

Staff who have been let go say they have already lost access to internal systems.

In a statement issued to Eurogamer this evening, a Team17 spokesperson played down the likelihood of redundancies – saying those who have been laid off were able to apply for jobs in other positions.

“Team17 Games Label has initiated a re-alignment of elements within its studio operating business model in order to better meet the needs of our development partners and growth of our owned IP.

“This could result in a small number of redundancies; however, we have a number of roles open across the Group and will be encouraging and supporting any colleagues that wish to apply.”

Last year, Eurogamer published a detailed report on Team17, as staff spoke out on the company’s pay, working conditions and management failures. In the wake of the report’s publication, Team17 promised a number of positive changes, including pay reviews.

Upcoming Team17-published projects include sinister fishing game Dredge, plus sequels to The Game Kitchen’s Blasphemous and TSMG Studio’s Moving Out.

In terms of internally-developed projects, Team17 had announced black comedy slasher-adventure Killer Frequency, for launch this summer on PC and Meta Quest 2.