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Annapurna Games, LLC (
trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is fictitious business name. Registering the fictitious name with ...
: Annapurna Interactive) is an American
video game publisher A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that have been developed either internally by the publisher or externally by a video game developer. They often finance the development, sometimes by paying a video game developer ...
and developer. The company is a division of
Annapurna Pictures Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television theatrical production and video game publishing. History Annapurna P ...
, and was founded in 2016, and has focused on publishing innovative and emotive
indie game An indie video game or indie game (short for independent video game) is a video game created by individuals or smaller development teams without the financial and technical support of a large game publisher, in contrast to most "AAA" (triple-A ...
s. Notable games published by the company include '' Donut County'', '' Kentucky Route Zero'', ''
Outer Wilds ''Outer Wilds'' is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game follows the player character as they explore a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop that resets after the ...
'', '' Sayonara Wild Hearts'', '' Wattam'', ''
What Remains of Edith Finch ''What Remains of Edith Finch'' is a First-person (video games), first-person adventure game, exploration video game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and ...
'', '' Telling Lies'', '' Neon White'' and ''
Stray Stray or The Stray or ''variation'', may refer to: Animals * A feral (abandoned or escaped) domestic animal; see also estray * A stray or free-ranging dog Places * Areas of open grassland in North Yorkshire: ** Strays of York ** The Stray (Harro ...
''.


History

The company was founded as a division of
Annapurna Pictures Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television theatrical production and video game publishing. History Annapurna P ...
on December 1, 2016, as Annapurna's attempt to expand into the video game industry. The company's early staff was composed of existing Annapurna executives, producer Neale Hemrajani and Technology Head James Masi along with several video game veterans, including Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, Hector Sanchez, and Jeff Legaspi, who had worked in
Sony Interactive Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...
's
Santa Monica Studio Santa Monica Studio is an American video game developer of Sony Interactive Entertainment based in Los Angeles. It is best known for developing the ''God of War'' series. The studio was founded in 1999 by Allan Becker and was located in Santa ...
and
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Warner Bros. Games (formerly Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment) is an American video game publisher based in Burbank, California. The publisher was founded as a division of Warner Bros. on January 14, 2004, as well as the WB Games brand. ...
.
Jenova Chen Xinghan Chen (; born October 8, 1981), known professionally as Jenova Chen, is a Chinese video game designer. He is the designer of the award-winning games '' Cloud'', '' Flow'', ''Flower'', and '' Journey'', co-founder of Thatgamecompany as wel ...
also served as the company's advisor. The company aimed to publish games that are "personal, emotional, and original". Annapurna Interactive acquired games that were in development at Santa Monica Studio's external development division, including ''
What Remains of Edith Finch ''What Remains of Edith Finch'' is a First-person (video games), first-person adventure game, exploration video game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and ...
'' and '' Wattam''. On the day of establishment, the company announced several publishing deals it had signed with several independent developers. Some of the first games published by the company included ''
Gorogoa ''Gorogoa'' is a puzzle video game developed by Jason Roberts and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and iOS on 14 December 2017, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 May 2018, and short ...
'', ''What Remains of Edith Finch'', ''Wattam'', and ''
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
''. In 2017, Annapurna announced that it would begin publishing more games, which included ''
The Artful Escape ''The Artful Escape'' is a platform video game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was originally released on September 9, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and for PlayStation 4, ...
'', '' Ashen'', and '' Telling Lies''. In October 2020, Annapurna established an internal development studio in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. Leading into and through the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Annapurna Pictures had been struggling with financial issues, and its CEO
Megan Ellison Margaret "Megan" Elizabeth Ellison (born January 31, 1986) is an American film producer, entrepreneur, and daughter of multibillionaire Larry Ellison. She is a founder of Annapurna Pictures, established in 2011. She produced the films ''Zero D ...
had disappeared from the public around 2019 while her father
Larry Ellison Lawrence Joseph Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is an American businessman and entrepreneur who co-founded software company Oracle Corporation. He was Oracle's chief executive officer from 1977 to 2014 and is now its chief technology officer a ...
helped to stabilize the company and other executives departed. Megan Ellison eventually reappeared around 2021, and promoted Gary to president of Annapurna Pictures, while Mars and Nathan Vella, former president of
Capybara Games Capybara Games is an independent game studio based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The studio was founded in 2003 from a collection of Toronto IGDA members. The company is most known for developing 2011's '' Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP'' and ...
, were promoted to co-manage Annapurna Interaction. According to sources speaking to
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
, Gary's management put more resources into the gaming division, as well as promoting Masi to chief administration officer for Annapurna Pictures. Gary also claimed to have established
Annapurna Animation Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television theatrical production and video game publishing. History Annapurna Pic ...
, an animation division of Annapurna Pictures, with their premiere work being ''
Nimona ''Nimona'' is a science fantasy graphic novel by American cartoonist ND Stevenson. The story follows the title character, a shapeshifter who joins the disgraced knight Ballister Blackheart in his plans to destroy the over-controlling Institut ...
'', though other sources stated this had been credited to Ellison. As a result, there was a matter of distrust between Ellison and Annapurna Interactive, leading to a hands-off approach for the publisher to continue to group. In March 2022, video game journalism
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel ''
People Make Games ''People Make Games'' (PMG) is a British investigative video game journalism YouTube channel. The channel focuses on the developers and people who make video games. ''People Make Games'' has reported on topics such as video game crunch, outs ...
'' reported on three video game studios publishing under Annapurna Interactive—Mountains, Fullbright, and
Funomena Robin Hunicke (; born March 15, 1973) is an American video game designer and producer. She is a professor of game design at UC Santa Cruz and the co-founder of Funomena. Hunicke began her career at Electronic Arts where she worked on multiple ...
. In all three cases, employees reportedly reached out to Annapurna Interactive, addressing concerns regarding
abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...
and a
toxic work environment A “toxic workplace” is a colloquial metaphor used to describe a place of work, usually an office environment, that is marked by significant personal conflicts between those who work there. A toxic work environment has a negative impact on an o ...
being created by the studio founders. In hopes of getting Annapurna Interactive to mediate, employees stated that the publisher was siding mostly with the founders in question. According to one former studio employee, representatives of Annapurna Interactive had been quoted responding that "without strong personalities, games don't get made." Chris Bratt of ''People Make Games'' saw these incidents as part of a greater pattern of
auteur An (; , ) is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded and personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, thus manifesting the director's unique style or thematic ...
culture that can be found across the film and video game industry. Two limited edition box sets containing the games '' Donut County'', '' Kentucky Route Zero'', ''
Outer Wilds ''Outer Wilds'' is a 2019 action-adventure game developed by Mobius Digital and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game follows the player character as they explore a planetary system stuck in a 22-minute time loop that resets after the ...
'', '' Sayonara Wild Hearts'', '' Wattam'', ''
What Remains of Edith Finch ''What Remains of Edith Finch'' is a First-person (video games), first-person adventure game, exploration video game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and ...
'', '' Telling Lies'', and ''
Gorogoa ''Gorogoa'' is a puzzle video game developed by Jason Roberts and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and iOS on 14 December 2017, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 May 2018, and short ...
'', celebrating the first five years of the publisher, were released in collaboration with
iam8bit iam8bit, Inc. is an American merchandising company, video game publisher, and artist collective based in Los Angeles, California. iam8bit hosts an online store that primarily sells collectible vinyl records of video game soundtracks, but also ...
for the PlayStation 4 in late 2020. In June 2022, Annapurna announced the formation of an internal game development studio headed by Chelsea Hash. Its first game, '' Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth'', was announced in 2023. A limited edition box set containing the games '' Donut County'', ''
Gorogoa ''Gorogoa'' is a puzzle video game developed by Jason Roberts and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, and iOS on 14 December 2017, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on 22 May 2018, and short ...
'', ''
Hindsight Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon or creeping determinism, is the common tendency for people to perceive past events as having been more predictable than they were. After an event has occurred, people often believe ...
'', '' I Am Dead,'' '' If Found...,'' '' Kentucky Route Zero'', '' Neon White,'' '' Sayonara Wild Hearts'', '' Solar Ash,
The Artful Escape ''The Artful Escape'' is a platform video game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was originally released on September 9, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and for PlayStation 4, ...
, The Pathless,'' ''
What Remains of Edith Finch ''What Remains of Edith Finch'' is a First-person (video games), first-person adventure game, exploration video game developed by Giant Sparrow and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and ...
'', was released in collaboration with
iam8bit iam8bit, Inc. is an American merchandising company, video game publisher, and artist collective based in Los Angeles, California. iam8bit hosts an online store that primarily sells collectible vinyl records of video game soundtracks, but also ...
for the Nintendo Switch in late 2023. In September 2023, while
Annapurna Animation Annapurna Pictures is an American independent media company founded by Megan Ellison on April 2, 2011, and based in Los Angeles, California. It is active in film, television theatrical production and video game publishing. History Annapurna Pic ...
announced an animated film adaptation of ''Stray'' is in development after the success of its first film ''
Nimona ''Nimona'' is a science fantasy graphic novel by American cartoonist ND Stevenson. The story follows the title character, a shapeshifter who joins the disgraced knight Ballister Blackheart in his plans to destroy the over-controlling Institut ...
'' (2023), other games from Annapurna Interactive are also considered to have potential adaptations. In November 2023, Annapurna Interactive made its first acquisition in South African studio 24 Bit Games, a studio which had provided support for other indie games such as ''
Gone Home ''Gone Home'' is a first-person exploration video game developed and published by The Fullbright Company. ''Gone Home'' was first released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux computers in August 2013, followed by console releases for the Pla ...
'', '' Neon White'', and '' Cocoon''. According to IGN and its sources, Ellison became more involved in Annapurna Pictures at the start of 2024, letting go of Masi as his role was considered redundant, and put Gary back as president of Annapurna Interactive. These events led to some of the Annapurna Interactive staff to quit, and Ellison sought to understand what issues there were. After conversing with the remaining staff, Ellison brought back Gary and Masi, re-establishing them in Annapurna Interactive, and opened discussions towards having the division become its own standalone company tentatively named Verset, with revenue to be split between Annapurna and Verset. Shortly after this, Ellison rehired Sanchez to lead a new games and interactive division within Annapurna Pictures. This effort was spearheaded by Annapurna Pictures' deal with
Remedy Entertainment Remedy Entertainment Oyj, trading internationally as Remedy Entertainment Plc, is a Finnish video game developer based in Espoo. Notable games the studio has developed include the first two entries in the ''Max Payne'' franchise, '' Alan Wake' ...
to fund development of '' Control 2'' along with getting the television and film rights to ''Control'' and ''
Alan Wake ''Alan Wake'' is a 2010 action-adventure game developed by Remedy Entertainment and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game was released in May 2010 for the Xbox 360, with a Windows version following in February 2012 and a remastered ve ...
''. Internally, this new division would become Annapurna's division for
AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * AAA (video game industry) - a category of high budget video games *'' TripleA'', an open source wargame Mu ...
games, while Annapurna Interactive would remain focused on indie games. However, Annapurna Interactive staff were not informed of these details. In August 2024, Annapurna Interactive's staff tried to approach about their previously proposed split, but Ellison did not join these negotiations, instead taking more control in Annapurna Interactive. At the start of September 2024, Gary, Masi, Mars and Vella submitted a co-resignation letter. Annapurna Pictures reported at the time they were planning to integrate the Interactive division among their other branches. The following week,
Bloomberg News Bloomberg News (originally Bloomberg Business News) is an international news agency headquartered in New York City and a division of Bloomberg L.P. Content produced by Bloomberg News is disseminated through Bloomberg Terminals, Bloomberg T ...
's
Jason Schreier Jason Schreier (born May 10, 1987) is an American journalist and author who primarily covers the video game industry. He worked as a news reporter for ''Kotaku'' from 2011 to 2020 and was recognized for several Investigative journalism, investig ...
reported Annapurna Interactive's entire staff had resigned. The group tried to continue their previous discussions on establishing Verset, but Ellison did not respond to these messages. Following these resignations, Sanchez took over Annapurna Interactive with help of other staff from Annapurna Pictures, and while they intend to honor the existing publication deals, the resignations left questions regarding what support developers publishing though Annapurna Interactive would get. Some developers with projects under Annapurna Interactive, including
Davey Wreden Davey Wreden (born September 29, 1988) is a game designer and developer, best known for his work on ''The Stanley Parable'', '' The Beginner's Guide'', and '' Wanderstop''. Career ''The Stanley Parable'' Wreden started developing video gam ...
and
C418 Daniel Rosenfeld (born 9 May 1989), known professionally as C418 (pronounced "see four eighteen"), is a German musician, composer and producer. Known for his minimalistic ambient work, he rose to fame as the original composer and sound designe ...
, and Beethoven & Dinosaur stated their forthcoming or planned games were not affected; Remedy Entertainment was not affected as Annapurna Pictures was responsible for their collaboration. ''Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth'', which was being developed internally, was also left in question since the internal development team had also resigned, though Annapurna Interactive reiterated plans to release the game following the transition. Annapurna announced that development of ''Silent Hill: Townfall'' will still continue.https://www.siliconera.com/annapurna-says-silent-hill-townfall-game-still-happening/


Games


Games published


Games developed


References


External links

* {{Annapurna Interactive 2016 establishments in California American companies established in 2016 Apple Design Awards recipients Companies based in Los Angeles Technology companies based in Greater Los Angeles Video game companies based in California Video game companies established in 2016 Video game development companies Video game publishers