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The entire workforce of publisher Annapurna Interactive has resigned following a dispute with owner Megan Ellison.
As reported by Bloomberg, the publisher had been in negotiations with its owner to spin the gaming arm into an independent entity. Ellison reportedly walked out of these talks, leading to Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary, other company executives and around two dozen staff members resigning.
In a joint statement, Gary confirmed that “All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned,” calling the move “one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly.”
In a statement released to Bloomberg News, Ellison claimed that the company’s “top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition”. The statement then goes on to look at the company’s future: ““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 theatre.”
As you might expect, the staff resignations will have a huge impact on the games currently in development under the Annapurna publishing label. On Switch, the company currently has both the Stray port and top-down roguelike Morsels (which made an appearance at the recent Indie World showcase) in the pipeline. A spokesperson has told Bloomberg that all existing games and projects will remain under Annapurna.
Now taking on the role of president, Annapurna Interactive co-founder Hector Sanchez has reportedly told developers that the company will honour all existing contracts as he works to replace the staff members who have departed.
The resignations come after a stellar couple of years for the company on Switch. In recent memory alone, Annapurna Interactive has brought the likes of Outer Wilds, COCOON, Lorelei and the Laser Eyes and Neon White to the Nintendo hybrid among many more critically-acclaimed titles.
What do you make of this news? Let us know in the comments.