British publisher Team17 has announced “restructuring plans” that include the departure of its CEO and around 50 staff.
In what is beginning to look like a wider trend across the games industry, Team17 is the latest company to announce a significant number of job losses as part of what it calls “restructuring plans.”
Eurogamer first broke the story yesterday, as sources revealed that Team17 – one of the UK’s best-known and longest-lived publishers – was in the process of making some 50 members of staff redundant. Those losses were said to be largely among its Quality Assurance team, but it was also said that Team17 CEO Michael Pattinson would be departing after two years in post.
Although Team17 has yet to confirm that precise number, it later confirmed that it has “entered into a period of consultation” with staff within its business, and that Pattinson had also “amicably parted ways” with the company.
It’s the latest in a series of announced job losses in an increasingly grim period for the global industry. Within the past few days alone, we’ve seen Epic lay off 830 employees – amounting to some 16 percent of its staff – while cuts at Sega have resulted in the abrupt cancellation of The Creative Assembly’s arena shooter, Hyenas. That decision also resulted in job losses at the British developer.
Meanwhile, Embracer’s continued attempts to drive down costs has seen layoffs at Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics, the cessation of development on Evil Dead: The Game, the closure of Volition, and reports that it may eventually sell Gearbox Software, the creators of Borderlands.
“In response to the reports concerning the departure of Michael Pattison from Team17, we can confirm we have amicably parted ways with Michael,” Team17 told Eurogamer in a statement. “We can also confirm that we have sadly entered into a period of consultation today within Team17 Digital, with Astragon and Storytoys remaining unaffected by the restructuring plans.”
The follows the publication of Team17’s financial results from the first half of this year, in which it announced that its revenue had risen 31 percent to £69.7 million.
