So far, nearly every gaming studio to announce its involvement with non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, has faced a severe backlash. Team17 was one of the most recent examples, which announced plans to sellenvironmentally friendly NFTsbased on itsWormsseries. After it faced numerous complains from not just the public but even its own partners, Team17 canceled the plans entirely. However, the entire debacle has opened a proverbial can of worms regarding the company’s own work environment.
AnonymousTeam17employees have since spoken with Eurogamer to share their own grievances with how the company handled the NFT announcement, namely that several of them weren’t even made aware of the plans until the announcement. Those that did know and criticized them were ignored. When the backlash occurred, employees say the company failed to properly apologize, not even to the community managers that bore the brunt of the complaints from the public, as well as abuse.
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Employees also shared complaints regarding low salaries, long hours, and other issues involving HR and upper management, which has resulted in many employees leaving Team17 and a bevy of poor reviews on Glassdoor. A quick glance at Team17’s page shows a startlingly low overall score of 2.9/5. Some 1-star reviews say the pay is so low that some employees can’t afford to heat their homes or eat three meals a day. They paint a very different picture to the 5-star reviews, with the most recent one admitting to the high turnout of staff but saying that this has created space for new employees.
Aside from developing its own games, Team17 has been responsible for publishing indie titles such asYooka-LayleeandYoku’s Island Express. It published seven such titles in 2020, followed by eight in 2021, but employees say the increased workload has only led to a focus on quantity over quality. Game testers say they would warn bosses of bugs and glitches that need to be fixed, only to be ignored to ensure games release on time.
Reports of poor working conditions, low salaries, and issues with management is sadly common within the gaming industry, and it has only become more apparent in the last couple of years.Ubisoft, for example, continues to face criticism for its handling of allegations of sexual harassment.
Activision Blizzard is perhaps the most notorious example. Ever since a lawsuit was filed against the company, stories of harassment and abuse towards its women employees surfaced. There are strong demands forCEO Bobby Kotickto be fired for allegedly knowing and allowing these incidents to happen, with many hopeful that he’ll leave once Microsoft’s acquisition of the company is complete.
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