All Annapurna Interactive staff, almost 25 people, have quit their jobs as negotiations about turning the gaming division into its own company failed.
The whole team at Annapurna Interactive, which is around 25 people, quit their jobs because talks about turning the gaming division into its own company didn’t work out.
What happened was, there was a disagreement between Megan Ellison, who owns Annapurna, and Nathan Gary, who used to be the boss of the gaming side. After they couldn’t agree on things, Gary and a bunch of other important executives decided to leave the company.
Almost 25 Annapurna Interactive staff have left the company
Annapurna Interactive, which was founded in 2016, has given us some really popular games like “Stray,” “What Remains of Edith Finch,” “Outer Wilds,” and “Neon White.” These games were loved by both critics and players. Recently, the whole team at Annapurna made the difficult decision to leave after a deal to make the gaming division independent from its parent company didn’t go through. The team released a statement saying that resigning was one of the hardest choices they’ve ever made.
Megan Ellison, the daughter of Oracle’s founder Larry Ellison, explained that even though the team left, Annapurna Interactive will still continue to operate. She promised that the company will keep supporting its game developers and partners. She also said they’re committed to growing in the world of interactive storytelling, not just with games, but also in films, TV shows, and even theatre.
Now, Hector Sanchez, one of the co-founders of Annapurna, is stepping in to lead the company. Sanchez, who used to work at Epic Games, has experience managing big projects. He’s confident about continuing the work Annapurna started and praised Ellison for supporting creative storytelling in games. His new job will be rebuilding the team after the recent resignations.
Annapurna has built a reputation for focusing on personal, story-driven games and partnering with smaller, boutique game studios. Even with the recent shake-up, the company still has a list of upcoming games under its publishing label, like Silent Hill: Townfall, Forever Ago, and Bounty Star. The games that were already in development are expected to move forward as planned, and the company will keep honoring all its existing contracts.
This situation with Annapurna Interactive is part of a bigger trend in the gaming world, where many companies have been going through layoffs, shutdowns, or restructuring. Recently, companies like Unity, Twitch, and PlayStation have also had high-profile layoffs. But what makes the situation at Annapurna stand out is that an entire team left after disagreements over the future of the company.
The idea behind the failed spin-off talks was to let Annapurna focus on making bigger-budget games and give them more control over their projects. But when that plan didn’t work out, the team felt it was best to leave. Now, we’ll have to wait and see how Annapurna’s gaming division will do without the team that helped the company become what it is today.
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