Published , by Sam Chandler
Published , by Sam Chandler
Annapurna Interactive has suffered a mass resignation of its staff from its publishing division. After negotiations to form an independent entity fell through, all 25 staff resigned, leaving Annapurna Interactive scrambling to fill roles and assuage developer concerns.
On September 12, 2024, Bloomberg reported that all 25 members of Annapurna Interactive had resigned following disputes with the owner, Megan Ellison. According to the report, the president of the company, Nathan Gary and his team had been in negotiations with Ellison to create a spin-off of the company into an independent entity.
Megan Ellison provided a statement to Bloomberg News:
Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition. 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 theater.
This has caused quite a stir for developers that had signed up to have Annapurna publish their games. As Jason Shreier points out, “Annapurna is responsible not only for funding the games but for handling services such as quality-assurance, adapting the products for local markets and marketing.” According to Annapurna Interactive, these games will remain under its control.
Remedy, the developer behind critically acclaimed titles like Control and Alan Wake 2, and Annapurna recently entered into a partnership to expand the Remedy Connected Universe into film and television adaptations.
According to people close to the situation, the new president, Hector Sanchez, has told developers Annapurna will honor contracts and replace staff that has resigned. Despite today’s news, it seems as though projects will still be going ahead. Be sure to look over our Annapurna Interactive topic for the latest on the publisher and its projects.