A small fan-favorite sandbox MMO such as Wurm Online should be allowed to spend its salad days enjoying modest growth amid a calm operating environment — but apparently, this is not meant to be. Following the acquisition of the studio and its game by Game Chest Group, Wurm Online’s future was thrown into turmoil as we noted back in June, when Game Chest CEO Krister Elmgren announced that the company would be pushing for the expansion of the game’s shop and forcing the retirement of in-game traders.
Now the community is reeling from the leak of hundreds of internal communications that reveal a studio that’s revolting against its new owners. According to reporting from YouTuber Bloody Drongo with reportedly verified screenshots of the comms, numerous developers have left due to an “overwhelmingly negative workplace culture.”
Elmgren himself seemed to confirm some of these details in a post on the official forums in which he confirmed that at least four “valuable team members” had left the studio.
On July 8th, the CEO also admitted that the ballyhooed new website launch didn’t go as planned, saying, “The website launch was less than satisfactory and I take the opportunity to thank you for your feedback and to say that I am sorry. It hurts me seeing the backlash the team has been subjected to. The team did not get the opportunity to add their input to the website before launch […] The quality assurance is my responsibility, and I did not uphold the quality you deserve.”
