Martyn Brown quits Worms dev Team17

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 4 February, 2011

"I had an amazing 20-year ride."

Martyn Brown has left Team 17 after 20 years at the helm.

In a post on Facebook, Brown thanked his colleagues.

"OK, I can finally announce that I left Team17. I had an amazing 20-year ride and whilst it's the end of a truly enjoyable period of my life, it equally signals the start of a really exciting new one.

"My sincere, heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped, in any way, shape or form over those two glorious decades. I leave Team17 in great shape, but now is time for my own adventure. See you at DICE and/or GDC..."

Brown now lists himself on Facebook as an "Independent Video Game Consultant (Positions TBA) February 2011 to present".

West Yorkshire developer Team17 is best known for the Worms series, but games Superfrog and Alien Breed continue to command a loyal following.

Brown co-founded the developer, which made its name on the Amiga. In recent years released multiple Worms games and downloadable Alien Breed titles.

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About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • el_pollo_diablo #1 1 year ago

    Superfrog was good.

    (Ha! I edited it so now it's all the other way around. I win!)
    Edited by el_pollo_diablo at 04/02/11 @ 15:04

  • CaptainQuint #2 1 year ago

    Maybe now at last we'll get a sequel to Body Blows. I've waited all of my adult life for it, like a patient Chuck Norris, shadow boxing in the dawn sunlight upon the horizon.

  • regmund #3 1 year ago

    Maybe its just as well. I think the Worms franchise has gone as far as it can possibly go. I hope he has something new and interesting up his sleeves.

  • ShiftyGeezer #4 1 year ago

    Team 17 was awesome on Amiga, mostly due to excellent artwork on solid games that made the most of the Amiga hardware. But they really lost their edge on PC and console. They got typecast into being the Worms developer, and recent revisitings of IP (Alien Breed) produced fairly lacklustre results. Part of that is due to publishers being rubbish. An Alien Breed game on the Snowblind Studios engine on PS2 was wanted by team17 and would have been awesome I imagine, but they couldn't get backing. The PSN Alien Breed's feel just like top-down UE3 space marines, and have lots of issues. At elast, the first episode did and they weren't patched, so I lost interest in buyng into part 2.

    I don't know if this news is good for Team17, getting a new head and revitalised direction, or if it represents the passing of original Amiga developer and Team17 will remain just a shell of its former glory. I wish them all the best anyhow, as their games provided many hours of entertainment on Amiga for which I am greatful.

  • Dodgymat #5 1 year ago

    Wow, I've never imagined Team17 without Spadge.

    All the best to Martyn & the crew in Ossett with whatever they have lined up for the future.

  • Sausagechaos #6 1 year ago

    Can't wait for exciting new projects such as - 'slugs' and ' Alan Breed'

  • beastmaster #7 1 year ago

    Good luck Spadge!

  • OnlyMe #8 1 year ago

    What Team17 needs to do is to get onto the retro-wave that's currently going on and produce proper 2D HD sequels and/or remakes of their classic games, insted of forcing 3D into everything. Superfrog, Assassin, All Terrain Racing, Overdrive, Alien Breed - all these are good enough for a revisit. I especially want a great top-down 2D racing game again in the style of ATR or Overdrive.

  • rodpad #9 1 year ago

    Worms peaked at Armageddon and hasn't recaptured the magic since.

  • Monkey_Puncher #10 1 year ago

    I'm not sure Worms is still Worms if Spadge is no more :(

  • woodnotes #11 1 year ago

    Team 17 has been shit since the Amiga days.

  • agparrot #12 1 year ago

    De he fix the 'not always being able to get 4 players into a game of Worms 2: Armageddon' on the 360 bug before he left?

  • Evil_Badger #13 1 year ago

    @OnlyMe

    Absolutely!
    I LOVED Assassin and a Super Frog HD remake on XBLA would be retro heaven.

  • PixelPirate #14 1 year ago

    Superfrog was awesome, i also enjoyed Body Blows for the sheer cheese factor.

    In the early days Team 17 were creating different exciting IP. These days its one worms game after another.

    do something exciting again please!

  • MasterNameless #15 1 year ago

    I heard he's tried to worm his way out of the Team 17 times already...

    Sorry, I couldn't resist a crap pun. :D

    From the other comments, I assume this is the Spadge that often visits the comments section here. Good luck for next endeavour. :)

  • kangarootoo #16 1 year ago

    "Superfrog wasn't *that* good :)"


    /places fingers in ears
    /checks they are firmly in place

    SHADDUP!!

  • Spydy #17 1 year ago

    Assassin, Project X, Superfrog. Great games on the old Amiga....Might have to bust out the 500 emu.

  • DanWhitehead #18 1 year ago

    Bombshells. Spadge has dropped one.

  • kinky_mong #19 1 year ago

    Probably got sick of making the same game over and over again.

  • arcam #20 1 year ago

    spadge often came into the comments section on EG, explaining decisions and responding to criticism. The man is clearly an all-round good egg, and I wish him all the best :)

  • Paulie_P #21 1 year ago

    Team 17 could be worse, imagine how many worms games we'd have if Activision owned them!

  • bad09 #22 1 year ago

    Good luck to him, having an Amiga I to of course I love Team 17 to bits (not for Worms funnily enough!). I actually feel guilty for not really liking the new Alien Breed and only getting the first game.

    I'm all over a new Superfrog or a updated Body Blows though.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #23 1 year ago

    I really like Spadge, and have done since the highly amusing game diaries printed in The One Amiga. I wish both him, and the remainder of Team 17, all the best for the future.

  • dacicus #24 1 year ago

    How many Worms can you do, really?! But, hey thank you for all those Worms and Alien Breed games....

  • dwalker109 #25 1 year ago

    No offense meant to visionaries like Martyn Brown and Jon Hare, but the game has changed a hell of a lot. It is quite obvious to me as a mere consumer of videogames that the entire approach to development has fundamentally changed, and what we are left with is a bunch of people trading on past glories and not actually doing the innovative work they claim to be capable of.

    It's basically the same as the music nostalgia circuit - it's great to see Paul McCartney doing Hey Jude now and then, but it won't replace my thirst for the latest and greatest in innovative, fresh music.

  • Discalceaterabbit #26 1 year ago

    He probably still blames Amiga Power for the lacklustre reviews of their recent output.

  • Gojiratron #27 1 year ago

    I just want to say thanks for the memories and all the best for the future mate. :)

  • spongebob #28 1 year ago

    What are some of you guys talking about? Superfrog was the best platform game on Amiga. Period.

  • Bonders99 #29 1 year ago

    All the best Martyn. Still remember the day I bought the original 4 disc version of Project-X with the little printed slip of paper with which we could order the Allister Brimble soundtrack on cassette tape, which I did order.. My how the times have changed. I believe there is more to it than he just left. He was Mr Team17. But anyway the best of luck in his endeavours. Big thanks to the original crew of Andreas, Rico, Allister, Stefan led by Spadge himself for the great Amiga memories.
    Edited by Bonders99 at 04/02/11 @ 20:28