All 25 members of staff at Annapurna Interactive have resigned following a dispute with billionaire Megan Ellison, the owner of the video game publisher's parent company, Annapurna Pictures.
Per Bloomberg, Annapurna Interactive president Nathan Gary and his team had sought to spin off the video game division from its parent company and become an independent entity. However, at some point Ellison exited negotiations and Gary resigned along with other executives at the label. They were followed by around 24 other staffers.
"All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned," Gary and the group said in a joint statement shared with Bloomberg. "This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly."
Despite the uncertainty caused by the sudden exodus, which not only impacts Annapurna Pictures but also the developers counting on its video game segment to publish their games, an Annapurna Pictures spokesperson told Bloomberg all existing games and projects will remain under the Annapurna Interactive label.
"Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition," Ellison told 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."
Annapurna is known for publishing critically acclaimed games from smaller to midsize teams like Stray, Outer Wilds, Neon White, and What Remains of Edith Finch. It recently partnered up with Remedy Entertainment to develop and produce Control and Alan Wake adaptations for film and TV.
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