Former Annapurna Interactive staff have reportedly acquired the portfolio of indie label Private Division after forming a new company.
As reported by Bloomberg, the unnamed entity allegedly acquired franchises such as Kerbal Space Program from Haveli Investments, an Austin, Texas, private equity firm that bought Take-Two’s Private Division late last year.
The firm will also take over distribution rights to game Freak’s upcoming unannounced title and The Lord of the Rings farming game Tales of the Shire, which is scheduled for release in March.
Bloomberg added that as a result of the purchase, there will be layoffs among the approximately 20 Private Division employees who joined Haveli, but it is unclear how many people could be affected at this time.
Most of Annapurna Interactive’s team pulled out after talks with its parent company collapsed in September.
While negotiations were underway, the team reportedly discovered that Annapurna Interactive co-founder Hector Sanchez had been “quietly rehired” as president of interactive and new media by Annapurna Pictures CEO Megan Ellison and was working on “game projects without the knowledge of the rest.” of Interactive staff,” leaving the team “confused, concerned and frustrated” by the company’s direction.
Take-Two resigned from the Private Division in November 2024. At the time, CEO Strauss Zelnick said GameIndustry.biz that the sale came as part of broader plans to focus on the publisher’s strengths in AAA and mobile.
