If the name Annapurna Interactive doesn’t ring a bell, you may have already played one of their productions without even knowing it. Because today, this publisher is associated with some of the biggest independent titles of recent years. It is thanks to this team that the developers at Mobius Digital were able to publish the famous Outer Wildsor that Giant Sparrow may have given birth to What Remains of Edith Finch. Annapurna’s video game branch has built its reputation on a unique ability to spot budding indie gems. Now, titles released under this banner have the makings of real blockbusters, like the adorable Stray which caused a stir in 2022.
But unfortunately, the future now seems uncertain for the entity so adored by players. On the night of September 12-13, the journalist from Bloomberg Jason Schreier has shed light on an unprecedented turn of events within the company. We learn that the teams at Annapurna Interactive were seeking independence from the main group – the Annapurna film studio owned by Megan Ellison – and that the failure of the negotiations ended up leading to a general resignation.
“All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team have collectively resigned. This is one of the most difficult decisions we have ever had to make and we have not taken this decision lightly.” said Nathan Gary (now former president of the publishing studio) and all employees in a statement.
Departures that cause chaos
This sudden and unexpected situation has not failed to worry the developers currently under contract with Annapurna Interactive. Still according to Bloombergmany teams were left without direct contact and left in the lurch for several days. Since then, the company has taken care to reassure its employees as well as the players by promising that nothing should change.
“Our top priority is to continue supporting our developer and publisher partners during this transition.“ Megan Ellison told Bloomberg. “We are committed not only to developing our existing video game projects, but also to increasing our presence in the interactive space (…) in the fields of film and television, games and theater.”
Despite these promises, the abandonment of an entire team overnight is anchored in the atmosphere of precariousness that reigns over the industry. Studios and publishers are under constant pressure, leading very regularly to waves of layoffs or abandonment of positions. The world of video games has apparently never been so cruel and each news of the genre suggests a future that is, to say the least, dystopian.
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