Team17 and the tabletop developer Mantic Games (the company behind the board game adaptations of Hellboy, The Walking Dead, and Mars Attacks) have today announced plans to create a new board game based on the classic artillery/tactical video game series Worms.
As outlined in the press release, the two companies will launch a Kickstarter for the project in August 2023, with a retail launch planned for 2024 — a year before Worm's 30th anniversary.
In case you're unfamiliar with Worms (if that's even possible!), it is a series that has had a long and storied history of games. It first appeared on the Commodore Amiga back in 1995, and was later ported to consoles like the original PlayStation, Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, the SNES, and Atari Jaguar.
In the years since its original release, it has received countless sequels and spin-offs, with the most recent being the ill-fated Worms Rumble from 2020.
In a statement to the press, the CEO of Team17 Digital Michael Pattison said about the board game project:
“The Worms brand has played a huge part in Team17 Digital’s success for nearly 30 years, and we’re really excited that our wriggly critters will be shortly battling away on tables around the world. We’ve worked closely with Mantic Games for some time to ensure the Worms experience is wholly encapsulated as a tabletop game, and we’re looking forward to the crowdfunding campaign starting in a few months’ time!”
Ronnie Renton, CEO of Mantic Games, meanwhile, added:
"Worms: The Board Game is shaping up to offer all of the addictive, tactical gameplay and laugh-out-loud moments that you’d expect! We love the videogame series, and it’s an absolute joy to bring this feel-good experience to the tabletop for Worms fans everywhere to enjoy with their family and friends.”
There's no details yet on how it will be adapted, but we have to imagine there will be plenty of explosive sheep, holy hand grenades, and concrete donkeys. We'll try and keep you posted once more information is available!