Possible Reasons of Annapurna Interactive Entire Team Resignation

Recently, an entire team of 25 employees of Annapurna Interactive resigned after failed negotiations with Annapurna Pictures CEO. The studio, best known for Outer Wilds, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Stray, has also been developing Blade Runner 2023, whose fate remains unknown, as its lead developer, Chelsea Hash, was among the resigned employees.

The ultimate reasons behind this mass resignation remain unclear. Several anonymous sources (via IGN) shed light on the event, sharing that the collective departure was rooted in disagreements over the company's direction and the potential decision to divide the company.

Annapurna Interactive was initially created as the gaming division of Annapurna Pictures, the film and TV company, which had some business struggles and, in 2019, was even close to bankruptcy. In 2024, James Masi, Production Manager, and Nathan Gary, President of Annapurna, were unexpectedly fired, which provoked confusion and fury among other employees. Some of them, including at least one other Interactive leader, quit as a sign of protest.

However, in the following days, all the fired employees, including Gary and Masi, returned. The discussions for the potential spin-off of the company started. The plan was for Gary and Annapurna Interactive to launch a new company called Verset that would lead all Annapurna Interactive projects and begin its new deals. Later, according to anonymous sources, Annapurna stopped negotiating about the spin-off and started "taking overall," engaging in the gaming department's activity. The parent company, on the contrary, claims that Gary didn't respond to requests concerning the spin-off.

As a result, at the end of August, the entire gaming department team of 25 employees, including Gary, resigned. Reportedly, they might be working on a new project called Verset, as there's a website for it that is blank yet, and there are no indications that any of the resigned employees search for new job positions.

"The whole situation is a baffler, but now we're focused on moving forward," told one of the anonymous spokespersons. "A ton of developers continue to want to be a part of what we're building, and we look forward to seeing their pitches,"  they continued. "We've also had an influx of quality job applicants and are excited to build a team passionate about our mission to tell original stories that aren't being told elsewhere. P.S. We're hiring."

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