Annapurna’s Entire Gaming Staff Quits: Report

variety.com:

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor The staff of Annapurna Interactive, the games division of Megan Ellison‘s Annapurna, has resigned en masse after a deal to spin off the group fell through, Bloomberg reports.

Founded in 2016, Annapurna Interactive has partnered with boutique game studios for several critically acclaimed titles, including “Stray” (pictured above), described as a “third-person cat adventure game set amidst the detailed, neon-lit alleys of a decaying cybercity,” as well as “What Remains of Edith Finch,” “Outer Wilds” and “Neon White.” The staff exodus came after a breakdown in talks between Ellison and Nathan Gary, formerly president of Annapurna Interactive, to spin the gaming unit off as a separate company. “All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned,” Gary and the other employees said in a joint statement Thursday to Bloomberg. “This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.” Ellison, founder and CEO of Annapurna, said her company’s gaming business will continue. “Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition,” she said in a statement to Bloomberg. “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.” She is daughter of Oracle founder Larry Ellison and sister of Skydance Media’s David Ellison.

Last month, Hector Sanchez, one of the original co-founders of Annapurna Interactive, rejoined Annapurna as president of interactive and new media.