Entire Gaming Staff of Annapurna Interactive Resigned

Annapurna Interactive’s entire gaming staff resigned from the company. They did so collectively following a leadership dispute. [Thanks, Bloomberg!]

According to Bloomberg (and with confirmation from IGN), Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary had been in negotiations with Megan Ellison, the founder of Annapurna Pictures. Annapurna Interactive is a division of Annapurna Pictures. So Gary and the rest of the team had been trying to spin off the video game division as an independent entity. Ellison pulled out of the negotiations and in response, Gary and some other executives resigned. Almost immediately afterwards, over two dozen employees joined them. In a joint statement to Bloomberg, Gary and the rest of the resigned staff said that it was one of the hardest decisions they ever made.

This departure has thrown some game developers into chaos, as now they’re unclear of who they should contact in regards to game publishing. Hector Sanchez, the new President of Interactive and New Media at Annapurna and formerly a co-founder of the division, said that the company will “honor existing contracts” and that it will hire new staff to replace those who resigned.

Annapurna Interactive has published many critically-acclaimed games since it started in 2017. This includes What Remains of Edith Finch, Flower, Outer Wilds, Stray, Thirsty Suitors, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes, and more. Upcoming games include Morsels, Silent Hill: Townfall, and Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth.