Team17 did not respond to a request for comment by Kotaku, but told Eurogamer in a statement that it “takes its responsibilities to its staff extremely seriously” and is constantly reviewing policies and practices around “compensation, workplace culture and environment, among other key areas, to continually strive to improve our employee experience.”

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This is in stark contrast to Team17 CEO and co-founder, Debbie Bestwick, who reportedly made over $10 million in total compensation last year, making her one of the top-paid people in the games industry. While Team17’s claim to fame was the 2D tactical series Worms, in the years since it has branched out into lucrative publishing deals with popular indie games like The Escapists, Overcooked 2, and last year’s excellent sim shooter, Hell Let Loose. Team17 went public in 2018 and has seen its stock price soar.

But while Team17 was apparently having a record start to its 2021 financial year, bonuses were slashed for some of the employees who most relied on them. According to the employees Eurogamer spoke with, however, Bestwick continues to ignore complaints.

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Shortly after the Worms NFT announcement went live, Bestwick reportedly shared her frustration and shock over the backlash on Facebook. A copy of the post reviewed by Eurogamer concluded with, “I dare anyone to question my ethics tbh!”