Stray | Photo: Annapurna Interactive
Following a breakdown in talks for spinning off Annapurna's game division, the staff of Annapurna Interactive resigned. "All 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned," former president Nathan Gary and staffers told Bloomberg. "This was one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make and we did not take this action lightly."
Annapurna Interactive is a game company known for publishing independent hits like Stray, Outer Wilds, Gorogoa, Neon White, What Remains of Edith Finch, and many more. Gary tried to negotiate a deal with Annapurna Pictures lead Megan Ellison to turn it into an independent developer. But a week before its latest negotiations, the co-heads of Annapurna Interactive, Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, along with Gary, announced their departure.
There was hope that Annapurna Pictures could reach an agreement with the workers who stayed at Annapurna Interactive. But the consolidation with the TV and Film team didn't happen. Gary and 25 of the creative employees left the company on September 12, shutting down its operations.
Hector Sanchez, Gary's replacement as Annapurna Interactive president, assured developers working on projects for the company that the employees who left will be quickly replaced. However, it is unclear how this will affect the quality of these ongoing projects.