Annapurna Interactive Team Resign Controversy

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Overview

Annapurna Interactive Team Resign Controversy refers to a Bloomberg report revealing the entire staff of Annapurna Interactive, an American video game publisher, developer and the gaming division of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures, resigned after failing to convince Ellison to let them spin off its games division into a new company. An Annapurna spokesperson told Bloomberg that existing games and projects will remain under the company. The studio is known for publishing indie hits like Stray and Outer Wilds, which left fans of the games surprised when news of the studio staff's sudden exodus broke in mid-September 2024.

Background

On September 12th, 2024, Bloomberg^[1] journalist Jason Schreier exclusively revealed that the entire staff of Annapurna Interactive, the video-game publishing division of Megan Ellison’s Annapurna studio, "resigned this month following a dispute with its owner." The gaming website IGN^[2] confirmed the resignation claims, adding that "all 25 members of the Annapurna Interactive team collectively resigned."

The resignations occurred after discussions between Annapurna founder Megan Ellison and Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary failed to reach an agreement on a deal that would have let them spin off its games division into a new company. Schreier's tweet^[3] about the story (seen below) amassed more than 9,000 likes and 3,300 reposts in a day.

Developments

Annapurna founder Megan Ellison issued a statement^[4] on September 12th, 2024, promising that the company will honor its commitments to its other gaming partners and other projects under development. "Our top priority is continuing to support our developer and publishing partners during this transition," she said.

Online Reactions

Annapurna Interactive's mass resignation became a viral topic in the gaming community shortly after the story broke in mid-September 2024, with many criticizing the studio's failure to reach an agreement with its collaborators.

For example, on September 12th, 2024, X^[5] user @MattMcMuscles commented on the future projects the studio was working on, writing that "Annapurna was publishing some of the most inventive stuff out there, with plenty more coming over the next year or two." The tweet (seen below) amassed more than 960 likes and 130 reposts in a day.

YouTuber^[6] @SmashJT posted a video on September 13th, 2024, explaining the events that led to the resignation of 25 Annapurna employees. The post (seen below) received more than 17,000 views and 1,700 likes in a few hours.