Okay, we’ve had enough layoffs in the last few weeks, but an entire workforce quitting is something completely new and is currently happening at Annapurna Interactive.
What’s going on? The name Annapurna Interactive might not be entirely unknown, after all the publisher has some well-known titles on its list such as Outer Wilds, What Remains of Edith Finch or the popular cat adventure Stray. But those days may now be over, as the publisher’s staff have reportedly thrown in the towel.
This was apparently preceded by a dispute with Megan Ellison, the owner of the publisher. Company boss Nathan Gary and his team had reportedly negotiated to spin off Annapurna Interactive as an independent company from the Annapurna Group, but ultimately could not reach an agreement with Ellison. Consequently, the workforce of around 25 people then submitted their resignations.
“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team have 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 decision lightly.”
According to one Report at Bloomberg This initially caused panic among the developers under contract with Annapurna. No wonder, after all, such a publishing deal also includes complete development budgets as well as Q&A and marketing. Just a few weeks ago, Annapurna had, among other things, made an agreement with Remedy Entertainment to produce film and series adaptations of Control and Alan Wake. However, this is not affected, because the agreement was made with Annapurna Pictures, not Annapurna Interactive.
An Annapurna spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg that all existing games and projects will remain with the company. New president Hector Sanchez, a former co-founder of the company who was brought back, reportedly told developers that all contracts will be honored and all employees at Annapurna Interactive will be replaced.
Felix channeled his inner cat and roamed through the fascinating world of Stray.
