Team 17's CEO is out as publisher begins restructuring
Profit and loss

Team 17, the British publisher behind some of the finest indie games of recent years, has parted ways with its CEO Michael Pattison, entering into a "period of consultation".
In a comment to VG247, Team 17 confirmed that it had "amicably parted ways with Michael" and that the studio has "sadly entered into a period of consultation today within Team 17 Digital, with Astragon and Storytoys remaining unaffected by restructuring plans."
This news comes in response to reports earlier today which forecast layoffs at the publisher. Eurogamer reported that the majority of the developer's internal Quality Assurance (QA) team would be affected, publishing a claim by anonymous sources that "around 50 roles... are at risk as part of a major restructuring process".
According to a source at VG247, Team 17 commercial operations director Ann Hurley read out a statement earlier today at an emergency town hall meeting, stating that the publisher has "felt the pressure" this year, "as have many companies in our industry."
Team 17 is renowned for having published a range of acclaimed indie titles including Overcooked, Moving Out, Worms, Dredge, and Yooka-Laylee. Despite its wide roster of well-crafted indie titles, it looks as though the publisher is in for an even rockier time as it attempts to remain solvent through restructuring.
Team 17 also suffered a range of layoffs back in March as the company attempted a "re-alignment", but it would appear that the layoffs did little to bolster the publisher's prospects in the long term.
This has also been a difficult time for other parts of the industry. Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite, laid off over 800 staff at the end of September. CEO Tim Sweeny shared a public announcement, stating that the company has “concluded that layoffs are the only way.”
Team 17 has published some of the best co-op games and best multiplayer PC games out there.
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Cat Bussell is a Staff Writer at TechRadar Gaming. Hailing from the crooked spires of London, Cat is an experienced writer and journalist. As seen on Wargamer.com, TheGamer.com, and Superjumpmagazine.com, Cat is here to bring you coverage from all corners of the video game world. An inveterate RPG maven and strategy game enjoyer, Cat is known for her love of rich narratives; both story-driven and emergent.
Before migrating to the green pastures of games journalism, Cat worked as a political advisor and academic. She has three degrees and has studied and worked at Cambridge University, University College London, and Queen Mary University of London. She's also been an art gallery curator, an ice cream maker, and a cocktail mixologist. This crash course in NPC lifestyles uniquely qualifies her to pick apart only the juiciest video games for your reading pleasure.
Cat cut her teeth on MMOs in the heyday of World of Warcraft before giving in to her love of JRPGs and becoming embedded in Final Fantasy XIV. When she's not doing that, you might find her running a tabletop RPG or two, perhaps even voluntarily.