Alleged Reasons Behind Stray Series Publisher’s Mass Resignation

Recently, an entire team of 25 employees resigned from Annapurna Interactive after negotiations with the CEO of Annapurna Pictures broke down. The studio, known for Outer Wilds, What Remains of Edith Finch, and Stray, was also developing the 2023 Blade Runner film, the fate of which remains unknown, with lead developer Chelsea Hash among the employees who resigned.

The ultimate reasons behind the mass resignation remain unclear. Several anonymous sources (via IGN) have shed light on the event, suggesting that the mass departure was due to disagreements over the direction of the company and a possible decision to split up the company.

Annapurna Interactive was originally founded as the games division of Annapurna Pictures, a film and television company, which had run into some business difficulties and, in 2019, was on the verge of bankruptcy. In 2024, James Massey, the production manager, and Nathan Gary, the president of Annapurna, were unexpectedly fired, sparking confusion and anger among other employees. Some, including at least one other Interactive leader, resigned in protest.

But in the following days, all the fired employees, including Gary and Macy, returned. Discussions began about the possibility of creating a subsidiary of the company. The plan was for Gary and Annapurna Interactive to launch a new company called Verset, which would lead all of Annapurna Interactive’s projects and initiate new deals. Later, according to anonymous sources, Annapurna stopped negotiating the subsidiary and began “generally acquiring,” engaging in gaming activity. Conversely, the parent company claims that Gary did not respond to requests regarding the subsidiary.