Annapurna Interactive

• 1. Introduction

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  Annapurna Interactive has published nine games since 2017, and they share almost nothing in common. Its catalog includes What Remains of Edith Finch, Donut County, Outer Wilds, and Sayonara Wild Hearts. It also includes Wattam, Telling Lies, Kentucky Route Zero, Neon White, and Stray, the most recent released in 2022. No single genre, art style, or studio ties these titles together. What connects them is the publisher itself, started in 2016 as a division of a film and television company, Annapurna Pictures. How does a business built around small, distinctive games survive when the studio holding its checkbook runs into serious trouble? And what happens to a publisher's identity when the people who built it start walking out the door?

• 2. Founding Vision

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  On the 1st of December 2016, Annapurna Games, LLC was established as a division of Annapurna Pictures, created to expand into video games. Its early staff combined existing Annapurna executives with producer Neale Hemrajani and technology head James Masi. Several video game veterans joined too: Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, Hector Sanchez, and Jeff Legaspi. All four had worked at Sony Interactive Entertainment's Santa Monica Studio or Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Jenova Chen served as the company's advisor. The company summarized its mission in three words: it wanted games that were "personal, emotional, and original."

  Annapurna Interactive acquired two games already in development at Santa Monica Studio's external development division: What Remains of Edith Finch and Wattam. On the day the company was established, it announced publishing deals with several independent developers. Its first titles included Gorogoa, What Remains of Edith Finch, Wattam, and Florence. By 2017, that lineup grew to include The Artful Escape, Ashen, and Telling Lies.

  Several of these earliest signings, including Gorogoa and Wattam, would resurface years later packaged together for collectors.

• 3. Building the Catalog

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  Two limited-edition box sets, produced in collaboration with iam8bit, bundled eight of Annapurna's PlayStation 4 games together in late 2020. The games included Donut County, Kentucky Route Zero, Outer Wilds, and Sayonara Wild Hearts. They also included Wattam, What Remains of Edith Finch, Telling Lies, and Gorogoa. A similar box set followed for the Nintendo Switch in late 2023.

  In October 2020, Annapurna established its own internal development studio in Los Angeles. That same year, the company signed a multi-year publishing agreement with the Swedish studio Simogo.

  In June 2022, Annapurna announced a second internal game development studio, this one headed by Chelsea Hash. Its first project, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, was announced in 2023. That November, Annapurna Interactive made its first acquisition, buying the South African studio 24 Bit Games. 24 Bit Games had previously supported other indie titles, including Gone Home, Neon White, and Cocoon.

  None of this expansion happened in isolation. Annapurna Interactive's parent company was already facing problems that had nothing to do with games.

• 4. A House Divided

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  Leading into the COVID-19 pandemic, Annapurna Pictures was struggling with financial issues serious enough that its CEO, Megan Ellison, stepped back. Her father, Larry Ellison, helped stabilize the business while other executives departed. Megan Ellison reappeared around 2021 and promoted Nathan Gary to president of Annapurna Pictures. Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, the former president of Capybara Games, were promoted to co-manage Annapurna Interactive.

  According to sources who spoke to IGN, Gary's leadership directed more resources into the gaming division. Gary also promoted James Masi to chief administration officer for Annapurna Pictures. Gary claimed he had established Annapurna Animation, a new animation division whose debut work was Nimona. Other sources credited that founding to Ellison instead. The disagreement left lasting distrust between Ellison and Annapurna Interactive. The parent company settled into a hands-off approach toward its games division.

  That distance between Ellison and her games division would not last forever.

• 5. Collapse and Fallout

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  In March 2024, Annapurna Interactive's staff were told that James Masi's role had been deemed unnecessary. Nathan Gary was named head of the division despite also leaving the company himself. Some staff resigned in response, though many later returned. Masi and Gary rejoined discussions about spinning the division off so it could sign deals independent of Annapurna. The plan called for the spin-off to still oversee existing Annapurna Interactive projects.

  In August 2024, Annapurna Pictures signed a partnership with Remedy Entertainment to co-finance development of Control 2. The deal also gave Annapurna television and film rights to Control and Alan Wake. Hector Sanchez negotiated the agreement after leaving Epic Games. He was rehired to lead a new division at Annapurna Pictures focused on AAA and AA games, while Annapurna Interactive stayed focused on indie titles.

  At the end of August 2024, Annapurna Interactive's twenty-five-person staff resigned together in a joint letter. They gave two weeks notice after spin-off talks stalled and then ended entirely. Further attempts to re-engage Ellison about the spin-off went nowhere.

  Sanchez subsequently met with developers on several affected projects who were frustrated by the situation. He told them Annapurna would meet its contractual obligations by backfilling roles and working with outside agencies. Developers including Davey Wreden, C418, and the studio Beethoven & Dinosaur said their in-progress or planned games were not affected. Annapurna confirmed that development on Silent Hill: Townfall and Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth would continue.

  The publisher's next chapter would depend entirely on whoever stepped in to lead what remained.

• 6. New Leadership, New Releases

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  In January 2025, Leanne Loombe joined Annapurna Interactive as executive vice president and head of games. Two months later, Annapurna released Wanderstop, developed by Ivy Road with a score composed by C418. April 2025 brought two more releases: Lushfoil Photography Sim and the first-person shooter Skin Deep. To a T, led by developer Keita Takahashi, followed in May. The adventure-racing game Wheel World arrived that summer.

  In 2025, Annapurna Interactive struck a publishing deal with The Lego Group for Lego Voyagers, a game developed by Light Brick Studio. It released in September 2025. At the Tokyo Game Show that year, Annapurna revealed three more titles still to come. Marumittu Games is building the puzzle-adventure D-topia, and Iridium Studios is working on People of Note, a turn-based RPG musical. Yarn Owl is developing the third, Demi and the Fractured Dream.