Staff speak out on pay, working conditions and management failures.
Yesterday, in response, a Team17 spokesperson provided the following statement, which is printed below in full.
“Team17 Digital takes its responsibilities to its staff extremely seriously,” a Team17 Digital spokesperson told Eurogamer.
This set some staff, protective of the Team17 brand and fiercely against NFTs, on edge.
When the Worms announcement did come, team members were instructed to keep opinions of the scheme to themselves.
reads an internal FAQ document passed to Eurogamer.
Aggro Crab went further, and called on developers to no longer do business with Team17 altogether.
This, however, only led to further anger.
In 2020, Team17 published seven games, including SMG’s Moving Out and Aggro Crab’s Going Under.
Everyone I spoke to heaped praise on their fellow team members who worked hard, and over long hours.
Meanwhile, outside of QA, staff said they worked overtime completely unpaid.
Recently, QA staff have put forward their case for pay rises - but not got anywhere.
We took it to management, and the second time we took it to HR.
Nothing came of it.
We were essentially told ‘the wages you are being paid are fine’.
I can confirm they’re not.
People are struggling, badly."
“This is something greatly out of our control,” one staff member told me.
“A lot of people relied on that.
Even those who put in extra hours or worked to the extremes got a substantially reduced bonus.”
Before then, many staff had not compared bonuses.
Regardless, QA staff were upset, and a producer was wheeled out for an apology.
Likewise, some QA staff are encouraged to promote the company at events.
Team17’s Nottingham office was set up more recently, as home to its growing marketing department.
“It was about finding and publishing good games,” one person said.
After being called out by other members of staff, the review was deleted.
While some staff have remained long-term, I’ve heard others who didn’t fit were given abrupt exits.
Staff have described her as “formidable”, and as someone who does not take criticism well.
It can be a very pointed thing.
On the flipside, things seem to have been easier for people closer to studio bosses.
Bestwick concluded: “I dare anyone to question my ethics tbh!”
This message is important, staff told me, because many at the studio are now doing this.
It’s the same stories which come out over and over again and - nothing.
Is she truly unaware, is no one telling her?
Or does she just not care?"
But staff remain sceptical.
Without change, staff say, the departures will continue.
