Team17

Team17 is a developer and publisher.

Team17 Webpage, Facebook

Team17 Digital Limited (known as Team17), is a British video-game developer and publisher founded in 1990 that produces games for PC, consoles, and mobile devices. Team17’s studio is headquartered in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK but since 2012, it’s also run a Nottingham office specializing in publishing and marketing. Team17 is led by co-founder Deborah “Debbie” Bestwick, who earned an OBE for her work in video-game development.

• Team 17 as a game developer
• Team 17 as a game publisher
• History of Team 17

Team 17 as a game developer

In its early years, Team17 Software Ltd. focused on creating games for the Commodore Amiga computers, popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Notable titles from this period include Superfrog, the Body Blows fighting series, and Alien Breed, a 2D shooter inspired by the Alien movies. Their breakthrough came in 1995 with the debut of Worms, a strategy-arcade game inspired by Scorched Earth. From that point on, Team17’s battleworms series grew into the studio’s defining franchise and a flagship brand, making its way onto virtually every major platform.

Team 17 as a game publisher

During its early days, Team17 Software Ltd. released both its own titles and games from other indie developers, such as F-17 Challenge, Overdrive, and Silverball. In the mid-1990s, the studio ceased self-publishing, working instead with global names like Codemasters, MicroProse, Ocean Software, SEGA, THQ, and Ubisoft. With the rise of the indie games market in the late 2000s, Team17 returned to self-publishing. Not long after, the company launched a program to back independent creators, supporting games such as Beyond Eyes, The Escapists, LA Cops, Not a Hero, OlliOlli 2, Overruled!, Penarium, and Sheltered.

History of Team 17

Prehistory

The origins of Team17 go back to 1987, when 17-Bit Software was created inside the British firm Microbyte, focusing on cataloging, producing, and publishing public-domain games and apps for the Commodore Amiga. Even then, Martyn Brown, a key team member, was recruiting talent to start his own independent video game company. In 1990, a Swedish developer, Peter Tuleby - aka Team 7 - approached 17-Bit Software; he was previously behind Codemasters’ debut game, Miami Chase. Following the release of Full Contact, Tuleby joined Brown, and together they formed Team17 Software Ltd. Their debut game, the shooter Alien Breed, became an iconic series, first on the Amiga and later on other platforms. In 1991, Team17 earned the Developer of the Year award alongside Electronic Arts.

The Worms series and other successes

Between 1992 and 1994, Team17 continued the Alien Breed saga and launched the fighting-game series Body Blows. Other notable titles included Arcade Pool, Project-X, and Superfrog, popular on Amiga and PC alike. At that time, Team17 also became a publisher, backing indie developers with releases like the racing games F-17 Challenge and Overdrive and the pinball game Silverball. In 1995, Team17 became the worldwide distributor for Ocean Software under a two-year partnership. The first notable release under the partnership was the strategy-arcade game Worms. The title was a major commercial success, outperforming such classics as FIFA Soccer 96 and Tomb Raider. The game soon grew into a franchise, becoming a key part of Team17’s portfolio and spreading across nearly all major platforms.

After Worms and Alien Breed 3D 1 and 2, Team17 dropped development for the declining Amiga and CD32 platforms. From 1997 to 2002, new Worms games targeted PCs and consoles like the Dreamcast, GameCube, PlayStation, and eventually PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In June 1997, Team17 partnered with Microprose for distribution. The studio also released Addiction Pinball, built on its own games, and the racing arcade game Stunt GP. After Microprose was bought by Hasbro Interactive, Team17 collaborated with top publishers, including Codemasters, SEGA, THQ, Titus Interactive, EON Digital, and Ubisoft.

Worms 3D, released in 2003, was the first 3D game in the series. The company also collaborated on other developers’ titles, bringing Army Men to consoles, continuing Leisure Suit Larry, and revamping Lemmings for new-generation platforms. For the first time, Worms appeared on handheld consoles, including the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable. In 2009–2010, Team17 reactivated the Alien Breed series, releasing three installments for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Around then, select Team17 games started appearing on mobile devices. In 2013, Team17 released Superfrog HD, a remaster of its classic platformer.

Publishing activities

In the 2010s, Team17 resumed self-publishing and launched a program to support promising indie developers. Several exciting indie games emerged from the program, including Beyond Eyes, The Escapists, LA Cops, Not a Hero, OlliOlli 2, Overruled!, Penarium, and Sheltered. In February 2011, Martyn Brown, a co-founder of Team17, moved on to work with Double Eleven. In 2012, Team17 Software Ltd. became Team17 Digital Limited after more than two decades under its original name. Two years later, the studio launched Flockers, a new brand inspired by ’90s trends and the classic Lemmings series. In May, the company opened a Nottingham office to handle publishing and marketing, distinct from the development studio. Despite numerous experiments with 3D and gameplay mechanics, the Worms series remains Team17 Digital Ltd.’s flagship brand, ultimately returning to its 2D side-scrolling roots in subsequent releases.

In 2012, Worms: Revolution brought 3D graphics to the series but retained the classic side-scrolling action. Worms Battlegrounds launched in 2014, followed by 2016’s Worms W.M.D., both sticking to the series’ classic mechanics. Since the 3D experiments didn’t resonate with fans, the developers aimed to refresh the gameplay in the next installment. Worms Rumble launched on December 1, 2020, featured real-time gameplay for the first time and included a battle royale mode. Despite initial skepticism, the game was fairly well-received: on Metacritic, players gave the PC version an average score of 80/100, surpassing the industry media average of around 69/100.

In September 2016, Lloyds Development Capital took a 33% stake in Team17 through an investment deal. The capital helped the studio expand and hire more staff. After the success of The Escapists, Team17 acquired the game and its developers, Mouldy Toof Studios. The IP thrived, producing the 2015 spin-off The Escapists: The Walking Dead, the sequel The Escapists 2, and the spin-off The Survivalists.

By the end of the 2010s, Team17 was thriving in publishing, with standout titles including Hell Let Loose, the Yooka-Laylee series, This Is the Police, and My Time at Portia. In January 2020, Team17 bought Yippee! Entertainment, which had released Commandos 2 HD Remaster. A new Worms game, Worms Rumble, debuted in December 2020. Focusing on real-time gameplay, the developers’ changes received a lukewarm response from players and critics alike. According to Metacritic, industry reviews for the game averaged between 57% and 71%, depending on the platform, with player scores showing a similar range. The game earned “mostly positive” reviews on Steam.

The company's development, restructuring, and its effects

Team17’s growth continued, marked by a series of acquisitions. Team17’s next high-profile acquisition was Astragon Entertainment, a German simulation game publisher, in January 2022. The transaction was valued at $86 million. Despite the acquisition, Astragon Entertainment was to retain its operational freedom.

Shortly after, the company suffered a serious setback. When Team17 revealed plans to enter the NFT market with tokens based on the Worms series, several development studios that had previously worked with the company publicly condemned the move and vowed not to collaborate with the company in the future. Even after abandoning the project, Team17 still faced significant problems. Many employees spoke of low pay and an entrenched crunch culture at Team17, especially since the company entered the stock market. To make matters worse, the company appeared to be slipping in its commitment to the quality of its projects. As if that weren’t enough, Team17 faced accusations of covering up sexual harassment within the company. Team17 CEO Debbie Bestwick was blamed for this state of affairs. Ultimately, it was announced that she would be replaced by Steve Bell on January 1, 2024.

During this time, the company was still thriving in publishing. The company's catalog featured titles such as Dredge, Killer Frequency, Trepang2, along with Gord, Moving Out 2, Blasphemous II, Autopsy Simulator, and Marauders. Even so, the company was forced to carry out a major restructuring in October 2023. About 50 staff members, primarily from QA, were let go as a result of the restructuring. The restructuring also prompted CEO Michael Pattison to step down. It’s worth noting that the restructuring did not impact Team17’s acquired companies, Astragon Entertainment and Storytoys.

As of September 2024, the implemented restructuring showed promising effects. In the first half of 2024, Team17 reported revenues of L80.6 million, up 11% year-on-year, with a gross profit of L32.9 million, marking a 9% increase. Among the games launched during that time were Classified: France '44, Undead Inc., and Autopsy Simulator.

At the end of December 2024, the company announced the sad news of Martyn Brown’s passing. The co-founder of Team17 passed away at the age of 57.