Ex-Annapurna Interactive Team Launches Intriguing New Venture Inspired by Take-Two’s Inner Sanctum Model
Image created by the Inner most Division team.
Inner most Division, the independent game label from Take-Two, has been allegedly acquired by a group from last year’s significant staff departure at Annapurna Interactive.
According to Bloomberg, the newly formed, yet-to-be-named studio will take over games and franchises that were previously published under the Inner most Division label. The projects that will fall under this new developer’s management include the Kerbal Space Program series, and an unrevealed project from Pokémon developer Game Freak.
Last November, it was reported that Take-Two had sold the label to a then-unnamed organization. According to Bloomberg, the buyer was the Austin-based private equity firm Haveli, which reportedly secured a deal to finance the Annapurna alumni’s studio. Consequently, around 20 members of the Inner most Division team may face layoffs.
What transpired with Inner most Division and Annapurna Interactive
During last summer, the notable Grand Theft Auto publisher contemplated whether to close down (or dissolve) Inner most Division. This followed the complete shutdown of Roll7 (Rollerdrome, OlliOlli) along with staff reductions at Kerbal’s creator Intercept Games. Yellow Brick Games and Bloober Team, two developers whose projects were set to be published by Inner most Division, respectively opted for self-publishing or had their agreements with the label completely terminated.
At Annapurna Interactive, an alleged power struggle primarily amongst studio management resulted in a wave of resignations. Among its various challenges, the game division of the renowned film studio was reportedly poised to launch its own spinoff called Verset, which would handle new and future Annapurna Interactive deals, as well as its own independent projects.
Instead, talks between Verset’s anticipated leaders, James Masi and Nathan Gary, and Interactive co-founder Megan Ellison reached an impasse. Despite attempts to negotiate, the 25-member Interactive team all resigned. The reported plan at that time for the team was to establish their own publishing entity. What remains of Annapurna Interactive started recruiting staff to honor pre-existing agreements.
Bloomberg’s comprehensive report on the current situation of Inner most Division can be accessed here.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to a variety of websites including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to his work at Game Developer, his writings can also be found at io9 on Gizmodo. Don’t ask him how much gum he’s consumed, as the answer may exceed what he’s willing to admit.