Annapurna Interactive, the video game division of Annapurna studio, is on shaky ground after a staff exodus this month following a dispute with its owner, Megan Ellison. According to a report by Bloomberg, Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary and his team had been in the midst of a negotiation to spin the division off into its own independent entity. When Ellison pulled back from said negotiations, Gary and other top staff decided to resign and were followed by around two dozen other staff members.
"Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition,” Ellison told Bloomberg when asked for comment. She also noted the company's commitment to their existing games, as well as expanding their presence in the interactive space across film, TV, and gaming.
This development has led to a bit of a mess as developers partnered with Annapurna rush to figure out what this means for in-progress projects. Annapurna had been tasked with funding games, handling quality assurance, localization and marketing. Game makers working with Annapurna have been scrambling over the last few days to try and figure out if the company still plans to honor those agreements.
A spokesperson for the company did tell Bloomberg that all existing games and projects will remain under Annapurna, as well as replace staff who left.
Annapurna is well known for their publishing chops including the critically acclaimed Stray and Outer Wilds. Last month the company announced plans to partner with Remedy to bring Alan Wake and Control to TV productions.
