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Team 17 Worms Is Officially Set To Return In 2020

Team 17 is teasing a new Worms game for release later this year, almost four years on from the release of previous title, Worms W.M.D. The release of the next game will coincide with the series’ 25th anniversary too, so we can probably expect it to be a bit special. “Get ready for Worms like you’ve never played before!”, the teaser text from Team 17 reads. “Things are getting real in 2020.” Details on the new Worms 2020 game are pretty much non-existent beyond what’s shown in the teaser trailer, but Team 17 promises that “more details” will be coming soon.

And they were relatively simple as well, starting out as a 2D platformer/world leader who has access to all sorts of military equipment that they shouldn’t have access to, all the way to golf and then to 3D… and then back to golf again. So it’s safe to say that the Worms franchise has been severely lacking recently and we’re about due another one… Oh, what’s that?… “INCOMING!”…

Grab your Bazooka and jump on your Sheep, the Worms are back in 2020 like you’ve never seen them before. New Worms, new ways to play. Watch this space – @WormsTeam17 pic.twitter.com/pztFbFgdVs — Team17 (@Team17Ltd) March 9, 2020

According to this tweet (above), the new Worms title will see the critters return “like you’ve never seen them before”. The video clip provides a quick look back at some key releases in the series, before a three-dimensional worm smashes the TV with a bat. The tweet also mentions “new ways to play”, while the official Worms account says things are “getting real” in 2020. These games have always worked best in 2D, but we’re wondering if this will be a foray into virtual reality. Who knows?

Return of the Worms:

If Worms 2020 did end up being a 3D title, it would be the first in the series since 2011’s Ultimate Mayhem. Of course, this shouldn’t be taken as anything more than speculation. It’s very possible this was just a design choice for the trailer and that the final product is another traditional 2D game instead.

Additionally, a counter-argument to the 3D theory is that the trailer focuses on the past 2D titles. It would be a strange decision to showcase the franchise’s signature 2D titles and then announce a 3D tactics game instead. If they were going to do that, surely the likes of Worms 3D and Mayhem would have been better options.

Worms is no stranger to reinvention. It briefly went full 3D, controversially, and later games have added things like physics and procedural water. The last game, 2016’s WMD, was heavily inspired by ’99’s Armageddon, but also threw vehicles into the mix. For the most part, however, the fundamentals have stayed the same, so maybe it’s time for a shake-up.

Here’s hoping that Worms 2020 whatever guise it may take will be coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch and PC later this year. We’ll have the full details on Worms 2020 as soon as they emerge. Hopefully, we’ll get some more meaningful information in the near future.