Summary
According to insider sources, the entire staff of video game publisherAnnapurna Interactivehas resigned following failed negotiations with executive Megan Ellison.Annapurna Interactivehas achieved great success with titles likeOuter WildsandStray, among others, and its partnered development studios are now scrambling with an unclear future for their in-production games.
Repeated cutbacks and shutdowns have plagued the video game industry since 2023, with more and more companies announcing fresh rounds ofstudio layoffs for game developersand publishers alike. Even with a number of successful releases under its belt, it would seem Annapurna Interactive is the latest to face an abrupt shakeup.
First reported byBloomberg, all 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive staff have resigned following a falling out in negotiations to establish the video game publisher as an independent entity. Megan Ellison, CEO of Annapurna Pictures and authority of its underlying video games division, reportedly pulled out of talks with Annapurna Interactive president Nathan Gary and other executives. Annapurna Interactive was seeking to reform itself as a spin-off studio of the Annapurna Pictures video game division. However, after negotiations failed, Gary and all other executives at Annapurna Interactive submitted their resignations and were followed by two dozen other members of the publishing studio. With a number ofprojects tied to Annapurna Interactivenow facing uncertainty, developers are quickly looking to establish points of contact with replacement staff.
Annapurna Interactive Staff Resign After Failed Negotiations With Leadership
With Annapurna Interactive now without its staff and its parent company quickly working to refill positions, teams at some development studios are left wondering how their productions will be impacted. Several developers allege that newly appointed President of Interactive and New Media, Hector Sanchez, has assured them that all existing agreements will be honored and staffing will be reorganized. Audiences have responded to the resignations with shock and disbelief, with many wary of the studio’s future.
The video game industry continues to face incredibly tumultuous times, with entire studios resigning, projects getting canned, andmore layoffs announced by Microsoftand other major companies leaving thousands without work. Whether video game companies will find their footing any time soon remains to be seen, but employees and fans ofAnnapurna Interactiveand other studios remain understandably skeptical of the industry at this time.
