Annapurna Interactive’s entire staff followed its leadership and resigned after negotiations with owner Megan Ellison fell apart. Ellison, daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, had been in talks with Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary to take his team and create a new spinoff company. It was reported that Ellison “pulled out” of the negotiations and then Annapurna Interactive’s execs immediately left the room followed by its entire staff.
It also sounds as if things were already getting shaky at Annapurna Interactive for its now exited team, as Nathan Gary was set to be replaced with Hector Sanchez, who previously helped co-found the company in 2016. Gary, who also co-founded Annapurna’s gaming division, had been voted in as president after Sanchez had left to join Epic Games.
Per Bloomberg:
- “All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned,’” Gary and the group said in a joint statement.”
- “This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.”
- “Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition,” Ellison said in a statement to Bloomberg News.”
“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.”
Megan Ellsion
Bloomberg further goes on to explain how Annapurna Interactive’s game publishing process involves QA, research into local markets for advertising, and funding. The small award-winning team has managed to develop a solid reputation for its quality work with such hits as Stray, Outer Wilds, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Cocoon and was reportedly working on a Silent Hill project among roughly a dozen other titles. Meanwhile, parent company Annapurna Pictures recently announced a deal with Remedy for movie and television rights to itsAlan Wake franchise. Annapurna Pictures is also set to premiere a number of projects including streaming on Amazon and Netflix, as well as stage productions.