All 25 employees of beloved boutique publisher Annapurna Interactive collectively resigned earlier this month, a decision that was shocking and sad considering how consistently the company delivered great games, but its parent company, Annapurna Pictures, has assured that its Blade Runner game will continue to move forward.
Annapurna Interactive worked with outside developers to release one beloved game after another, from the futuristic cat adventure Stray, the time-loop mystery Outer Wilds, and the family tragedy What Remains of Edith Finch, among many others. But the company also had plans to finally release its first internally developed game: Blade Runner 2033: Labriynth, the first Blade Runner game in 25 years.
An Annapurna Pictures spokesperson recently told Agency that development on the mysterious game will continue, but Agency's report also found that Blade Runner 2033 director Chelsea Hash (who also worked on Edith Finch and Solar Ash) and all other full-time developers on the project have resigned along with the rest of the staff.
The details of why the mass resignations happened are still unclear, but Annapurna Interactive officials reportedly wanted to separate themselves from their corporate owners and become an independent company, and somewhere along the way, communications broke down. Annapurna Pictures told Agency that officials at the gaming division hadn't responded to legal drafts in months, but other anonymous sources allege that the company's billionaire founder, Megan Ellison, was responsible for the stalled negotiations. There are a ton of finer details that contributed to the awkward tensions, so you should read the full report for all the details.
“This whole situation is disconcerting,” an Annapurna spokesperson told the site, “but we're focused on moving forward now… We've also had an influx of quality job applicants and are excited to build a team that is passionate about our mission of telling original stories that aren't being told anywhere else. PS: We're hiring.”
“Nothing will stop us”: Annapurna Interactive partners react to mass resignations, as Remedy clarifies its deal with Control 2 is not affected.