Annapurna Games, LLC (also known as Annapurna Interactive) is an American company that creates and publishes video games. The company was created in 2016 as part of Annapurna Pictures. It works on publishing creative and story-driven independent games. In 2020, Annapurna started its own game development team.

Some of the well-known games published by Annapurna Interactive are What Remains of Edith Finch (2017), Donut County (2018), Outer Wilds (2019), Sayonara Wild Hearts (2019), Wattam (2019), Telling Lies (2019), Kentucky Route Zero (2020), Neon White (2022), and Stray (2022).

History

The company was created as a part of Annapurna Pictures on December 1, 2016, to enter the video game industry. Early staff included Annapurna executives, producer Neale Hemrajani, technology head James Masi, and video game veterans such as Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, Hector Sanchez, and Jeff Legaspi, who had previously worked at Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Santa Monica Studio and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Jenova Chen served as the company’s advisor. The company aimed to publish games that were "personal, emotional, and original." It acquired games being developed by Santa Monica Studio’s external division, including What Remains of Edith Finch and Wattam.

On its founding day, the company announced publishing deals with several independent developers. Early games published included Gorogoa, What Remains of Edith Finch, Wattam, and Florence. In 2017, Annapurna announced plans to publish additional games, such as The Artful Escape, Ashen, and Telling Lies.

In October 2020, Annapurna established an internal development studio in Los Angeles. Also in 2020, it signed a long-term publishing agreement with Swedish studio Simogo.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Annapurna Pictures faced financial challenges, and its CEO, Megan Ellison, stepped back while her father, Larry Ellison, helped stabilize the company. Other executives left during this time. Megan Ellison returned in 2021 and promoted Nathan Gary to president of Annapurna Pictures. Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella, former president of Capybara Games, were promoted to co-manage Annapurna Interactive. Gary increased support for the gaming division and promoted Masi to chief administration officer for Annapurna Pictures. Gary also claimed to have created Annapurna Animation, an animation division of Annapurna Pictures, with its first work being Nimona. Some sources attributed this effort to Megan Ellison, leading to tension between her and Annapurna Interactive.

In late 2020, Annapurna and iam8bit released limited edition box sets containing games such as Donut County, Kentucky Route Zero, Outer Wilds, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Wattam, What Remains of Edith Finch, Telling Lies, and Gorogoa for the PlayStation 4. A similar set was released for the Nintendo Switch in late 2023.

In June 2022, Annapurna announced the creation of an internal game development studio led by Chelsea Hash. Its first game, Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth, was announced in 2023.

In November 2023, Annapurna Interactive acquired South African studio 24 Bit Games, known for supporting indie games like Gone Home, Neon White, and Cocoon.

In March 2024, Annapurna informed staff that Masi’s role was no longer needed and that Gary would lead Annapurna Interactive, even though he had left the company. Some employees resigned but later returned with Masi and Gary to discuss a spin-off company that could operate independently of Annapurna while managing existing projects.

In August 2024, Annapurna Pictures partnered with Remedy Entertainment to co-finance Control 2 and gain rights to Control and Alan Wake for television and film. Sanchez, who had previously left Epic Games, was rehired to lead a new division for AAA and AA games at Annapurna Pictures, while Annapurna Interactive focused on indie games. In late August, Annapurna Interactive’s 25-person staff resigned after spin-off discussions stalled. Attempts to reconnect with Megan Ellison about the spin-off were unsuccessful.

Sanchez later met with developers who expressed frustration but confirmed Annapurna would continue supporting projects through temporary staff and outside agencies. Developers such as Davey Wreden, C418, and Beethoven & Dinosaur stated their upcoming or planned games were unaffected. Annapurna confirmed development of Silent Hill: Townfall and Blade Runner 2033: Labyrinth would continue.

In January 2025, Leanne Loombe joined Annapurna Interactive as executive vice president and head of games. In March 2025, Wanderstop, developed by Ivy Road and composed by C418, was released. In April 2025, Lushfoil Photography Sim and Skin Deep, a first-person shooter, were released. To a T, led by Keita Takahashi, was released in May. Wheel World, an adventure-racing game, was released in summer 2025.

In 2025, Annapurna Interactive announced a publishing deal with The Lego Group for Lego Voyagers, developed by Light Brick Studio, which was released in September 2025.

At the Tokyo Game Show in 2025, Annapurna revealed three new games: D-topia, a puzzle-adventure by Marumittu Games; People of Note, a turn-based RPG musical by Iridium Studios; and Demi and the Fractured Dream, developed by Yarn Owl.