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The Entire Annapurna Interactive Staff has Resigned Today Following Dispute w/ Owner

So that's the Silent Hill Townfall game cancelled
J8FZIm9VoBU6Q.webp
 

IntentionalPun

Ask me about my wife's perfect butthole
Seems like a what happened was Annapurna (the parent company) was re-doing their structure to fold their indie gaming into the main company, hiring the old AI co-founder back and naming them President of Interative and New Media


That happened last month.

My guess is the plan was to fold AI into this new org (likely with some big changes) and instead the 25 AI employees sort of revolted and wanted to spin off and come to some sort of exit arrangement and the parent company perhaps called their bluff.

Games close to being released will likely be effected most. The funding is all still there but the people executing the plans to get games released are gone.
 
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near

Gold Member
Seems like a what happened was Annapurna (the parent company) was re-doing their structure to fold their indie gaming into the main company, hiring the old AI co-founder back and naming them President of Interative and New Media


That happened last month.

My guess is the plan was to fold AI into this new org (likely with some big changes) and instead the 25 AI employees sort of revolted and wanted to spin off and come to some sort of exit arrangement and the parent company perhaps called their bluff.

Games close to being released will likely be effected most. The funding is all still there but the people executing the plans to get games released are gone.
So in a way, this consolidation of the business is a blessing for Remedy and a curse for the Indies. :(
 

Kazdane

Member
Personally, nothing of value was lost here. Stray sucks, Cocoon sucks, and Outer Wilds was just ok.
Stop It Michael Jordan GIF


I mean, I'm not going to pretend Annapurna Interactive is the greatest studio ever, but they have created some interesting game (both Stray and Outer Wilds I've enjoyed, personally).
Let's see what happens with this story, but it's definitely strange that the whole staff has resigned.
 

elhav

Member
Stop It Michael Jordan GIF


I mean, I'm not going to pretend Annapurna Interactive is the greatest studio ever, but they have created some interesting game (both Stray and Outer Wilds I've enjoyed, personally).
Let's see what happens with this story, but it's definitely strange that the whole staff has resigned.
All the games they published were developed by other small studios, not by them. However, like you said, these games are almost always guaranteed to be unique and interesting. I hope the team will move to another company to continue publishing or working on some more special games in the future.

Just to list some more of their games I liked (and some I've heard good things about):

What Remains of Edith Finch
Neon White
Gorogoa (really good puzzle game)
The Artful Escape
Cocoon
Florence
Kentucky Route Zero
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Lorelei

They have a damn impressive catalogue
 

Danny Dudekisser

I paid good money for this Dynex!
Personally, nothing of value was lost here. Stray sucks, Cocoon sucks, and Outer Wilds was just ok.

Stray might literally be the most overrated game of all time. I can't say definitively - it gave me some of the worst motion sickness I've ever experienced and I couldn't play for more than 10 minutes at a time.
 

DryvBy

Member
Paid for it on PC and the game lasts more than 2 hours.

According to the Internet it is supposed to be 5 to 6 hours following the story and up to 11 hours for a completionist.

That said, I don't think length justifies or not the price of a game.
That's because it's a boring game and it takes several weeks to work your way into wanting to play it again.

Source: I have the platinum. Look at those gaps lol

It also doesn't help that I find cats to be horrific pets and love dogs way more. Maybe if they made a game called Mutt, I'd enjoy it.
 
So a bunch of employees quit because their boss sucks…been there, at least 10 times. If it’s that bad to make everyone willing to quit, good for them! And I bet their plan is to form their own studio.
 

AmuroChan

Member
Stop It Michael Jordan GIF


I mean, I'm not going to pretend Annapurna Interactive is the greatest studio ever, but they have created some interesting game (both Stray and Outer Wilds I've enjoyed, personally).
Let's see what happens with this story, but it's definitely strange that the whole staff has resigned.

These are not developers that quit. These are the producers and administrative staff that help with the publishing side of things. It's 25 people total. Games in development that Annapurna is publishing in the future are not impacted by this.
 

nial

Member
These are not developers that quit. These are the producers and administrative staff that help with the publishing side of things. It's 25 people total. Games in development that Annapurna is publishing in the future are not impacted by this.
So they wil have to hire new producers and supervisors? I fear that could lead to AI dropping support on projects that new leadership may not see as a worthy investment or have any connection with. But hey, what do I know? Maybe stuff goes smoothly, anyway.
 

Reaseru

Member
Annapurna is just a publisher, not a development studio. They publish games, not create them.

"Stray" for example was developed by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna. "Silent Hill: Townfall" is being made by No Code studio.
 
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ShadowNate

Member
I guess it's better to wait and see how this actually affects their ongoing projects. It's too early as of yet, with little valid info, and there's too much speculation and pessimistic assumptions that seem outright false.

Apparently Blade Runner Labyrinth was the only one they were developing in-house, so that's the one on more shaky ground.
 

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Them and Devolver Digital are my fav indie publishers by far so this news is honestly kinda shocking.

Also, wtf will happen with Mixtape the game that's being in dev by The Artful Escape devs and releasing next year?

joe-biden-cmon-man.gif
 
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Shubh_C63

Member
New president Hector Sanchez has told developers that the company will honor existing contracts and replace staff who have left
Even the senior heads? that's brutal. Negotiations really were short and fell apart.
 

Clear

CliffyB's Cock Holster
Good for them. Power to the people.

Black Lives Matter Protest GIF by TIFF

Sorry, but I find it hard to believe that the entire management team of a publisher are "oppressed"!

Seems way more like a strongarm move that backfired when the owner didn't capitulate to their terms.
 

GHound

Member
I'm sure everyone involved is a wonderful person.
Sorry, but I find it hard to believe that the entire management team of a publisher are "oppressed"!

Seems way more like a strongarm move that backfired when the owner didn't capitulate to their terms.
Many such cases it would seem.
 

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Yeah, I think Nathan Gary & co will have no trouble in securing funding for a new indie label given their successful indie publishing track record at both Sony Santa Monica and then at Annapurna Interactive.

It's Annapurna Pictures and Megan Ellison's loss here, but I do feel for the indie devs that remain signed with them.
 
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Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Hold on..........they quit?
Yeah, so from what I'm reading, Ellison wants Annapurna Interactive (their gaming publishing arm) to focus more on AAA titles than on indie game publishing, which is the complete opposite of what Nathan Gary and his team were trying to achieve under this Annapurna Interactive label.

Tbh, good for them, and like I said in my previous post, I see no reason why these guys won't get the funding they need to create a new indie label and continue finding and supporting great indie projects. I'll play almost anything these guys publish.
 
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