Private Division’s games and franchises have reportedly been acquired by the former employees of Annapurna Interactive, in a deal that will see titles like Tales of the Shire and Kerbal Space Program 2, as well as an unannounced Game Freak title, published by this group’s new, unnamed company.
For added context, the entire staff of Annapurna Interactive quit Annapurna in September 2024, following a dispute with company management. According to Bloomberg, Annapurna Interactive President Nathan Gary had been in discussions with Annapurna founder Megan Ellison to split off the company as an independent games publisher. These negotiations were ended without resolve, and so Gary resigned. He was joined by other executives, and then the rest of the Annapurna Interactive team.
At the time, it was assumed these employees would reconvene under their own banner, given the ambitions for becoming independent. Now, it appears they’ve made their move, reportedly snapping up Private Division’s IP from private equity firm, Haveli Investments.
Haveli reportedly purchased the Private Division IP itself after Take-Two Interactive chose to sell it, with this deal taking place in November 2024. At the time, Haveli was not identified, but Take-Two did confirm the deal included “substantially all of Private Division’s live and unreleased titles.”
Read: Annapurna’s games team has collectively resigned
Based on reporting from Bloomberg, the former Annapurna Interactive staff have now purchased this IP from Haveli, with the intent to publish the former games of Private Division with their signature expertise. Annapurna Interactive’s split was significant, as the group had garnered a strong reputation for publishing high quality titles over several years, with titles including Kentucky Route Zero, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Stray, and What Remains of Edith Finch being particularly acclaimed.
With the group now reportedly in charge of Private Division’s IP, all eyes will be on their next steps. As for the remaining Private Division staff, it’s believed roughly 20 employees will be laid off as a result of this acquisition.
For now, it’s unclear what happens next – but we’re likely to hear much more shortly, particularly given Tales of the Shire is believed to be wrapped up in the acquisition, and this game is set to launch on 25 March 2025. We anticipate the former Annapurna Interactive employees are currently preparing to reveal their new enterprise, and that their acquisition of Private Division’s IP will likely be confirmed shortly.
