Why Annapurna Interactive’s Entire Staff Resigned
Earlier this month, Annapurna Interactive lost the entirety of its staff after all 25 members collectively resigned and walked out. The news came as a shock to some, as Annapurna has published a number of highly praised games (including Stray, Outer Wilds and The Artful Escape) and is currently in the process of developing a Blade Runner game. So what happened?
A recent report from IGN sheds some light on the issue. According to the report, changes in leadership played a major role, but the tale leading up to the mass walkout is a complicated one that requires a quick history lesson on the company’s past to truly understand.
Annapurna Interactive was founded by Annapurna Pictures owner (and daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison) Megan Ellison in 2016. At the time, Annapurna Pictures was struggling financially, and Ellison handpicked Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, and Hector Sanchez–who had all previously worked for Sony–to help guide the new gaming studio’s path forward. Sanchez left the team in 2019, and Capybara Games co-founder Nathan Vella joined the team shortly thereafter. 2019 also saw Ellison effectively disappear, effectively leaving Annapurna Interactive to its own devices, but the billionare movie mogul returned to a more hands-on role in 2021.