After failing to reach an agreement with the company’s owner, the entire team at Annapurna Interactive has collectively resigned.
Over the past eight years, Annapurna Interactive has become one of the most reliable game publishers when it comes to acclaimed indie titles – publishing the likes of Kentucky Route Zero, Donut County, Outer Wilds, Neon White, and Stray.
The publisher’s future, however, has been thrown into uncertainty after the team behind the division, which is a subsidiary of film company Annapurna Pictures, all collectively resigned following a dispute with the company’s owner, Megan Ellison.
The company fallout stems from negotiations between Ellison and Annapurna Interactive president Nathan Gary, who wanted to make the gaming division a separate entity. When Ellison pulled out of the negotiations, Gary and other executives resigned, and were followed by the rest of the workforce.
In a joint statement, Gary and his team said: ‘All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned. This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.’
What has Annapurna said about the resignations?
Annapurna confirmed it had explored the idea of separating the gaming division in a statement to Bloomberg, but the parties involved had failed to reach an agreement.
‘Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition,’ Ellison said. ‘We’re committed to not only our existing slate of games but also expanding our presence in the interactive space as we continue to look for opportunities to take a more integrated approach to linear and interactive storytelling across film and TV, gaming, and theatre.’
A spokesperson said all existing games and projects funded and handled by Annapurna will remain under the label, which presumably includes announced titles like Wanderstop and Silent Hill: Townfall.
Hector Sanchez, who originally co-founded Annapurna Interactive in 2016, has taken over as president of the publisher. He’s said to have told developers that the company will honour existing contracts and that new staff will be hired to replace those who have left.
Sanchez re-joined Annapurna last month following a stint at Epic Games. According to IGN, Sanchez was previously set to lead Annapurna’s gaming arm once Gary’s team had separated from the main company, but with his resignation, he’s now leading the division entirely.
It remains to be seen whether the team who collectively resigned will return under a new company, but it certainly seems like a possibility.
Annapurna recently announced it was set to co-finance Control 2 with developer Remedy, and produce TV and movies based on the studio’s other properties like Alan Wake.
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