All 25 employees of the gaming team at Annapurna Interactive (publisher of well-known indie games such as Outer Wilds, Stray and Neon White) have reportedly resigned after talks to spin off the division into an “independent entity” broke down.
As reported by Bloomberg and confirmed by IGN, Annapurna Interactive and New Media President Hector Sanchez assured co-developers that the company will continue to honor existing contracts.
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The report said Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary and his team had been in talks with Annapurna Pictures boss Megan Ellison about spinning off the gaming division as an “independent entity,” but Ellison pulled out of the talks at a critical juncture. Gary and other employees’ resignations followed this incident.
“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team are resigning en masse. This is one of the most difficult decisions we have ever made, and one we did not take lightly,” Gary and his team told Bloomberg in a joint statement.
Of course, these developments have created uncertainty and concern for studios and developers that Annapurna is currently working with or has agreements in place for upcoming projects. A spokesperson for Annapurna Pictures told Bloomberg that all existing games and projects will remain under the Annapurna brand. Sanchez also reportedly told developers that the company plans to replace departing employees.
“Our priority is to continue supporting our developer and publishing partners through this transition,” Ellison said in a statement to Bloomberg. “We are committed not only to our existing games but also to expanding our presence in the interactive space, and we will continue to look for opportunities to take a more integrated approach to linear and interactive storytelling across film, TV, games and theatrical.”
Last month, Annapurna Pictures announced a partnership with Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy, under which the company would cover 50% of Control 2’s development costs and gain the rights to develop film and television adaptations using the Control and Alan Wake IPs. According to a tweet from Remedy communications director Thomas Puha, it appears that the deal will not be affected by these developments at Annapurna Interactive.
