Entire Annapurna Interactive team steps down, leaving partners in hot water
The entire staff of Annapurna Interactive, the video game division of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna studio, resigned this month after a disagreement with the owner.
Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary and his team negotiated with Ellison, the daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, to spin off the video game division as an independent entity. When Ellison withdrew from negotiations, Gary and other executives resigned, followed by about two dozen other staffers.
“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team have collectively resigned,” Gary and the group said in a joint statement. “This was one of the most difficult decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.”
An Annapurna spokesperson confirmed that a spin-off had been explored and that the parties had failed to reach an agreement, leading to the layoffs.
“Our top priority is to continue to support our developer and publisher partners during this transition,” Ellison said in a statement to Bloomberg News. “We are committed to not only our existing lineup of games, but also to expanding our presence in the interactive space as we continue to seek opportunities to take a more integrated approach to linear and interactive storytelling across film and TV, gaming and theater.”
The exodus has caused chaos as game developers who work with Annapurna try to figure out what this means for their future projects. As a publisher, Annapurna is responsible not only for funding the games, but also for handling services like quality assurance, adapting the products for local markets, and marketing. In recent days, game developers who work with Annapurna have been scrambling to find new points of contact and figure out whether the company will continue to honor its agreements.
The spokesperson said all existing games and projects will remain under Annapurna.
New President Hector Sanchez has told developers the company will honor existing contracts and replace staff who have left, according to people who spoke on condition of anonymity because the conversations were private. Sanchez, originally a co-founder of Annapurna Interactive, was brought back last month.
Annapurna’s video game division has built a reputation for publishing critically acclaimed titles made by small teams, and has won awards with games like Outer Wilds, Stray and Cocoon. Last month, Annapurna announced a deal to partner with Finnish game company Remedy Entertainment to bring the critically acclaimed Control and Alan Wake franchises to film and TV.
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that top executives at Annapurna Interactive had left, but not that the entire team had departed.
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