Annapurna Pictures was behind movies like "Her," "Zero Dark Thirty," and "Sausage Party. Now the studio has decided to move its direction to publishing video games with its new Annapurna Interactive division. The company has taken the step by publishing its first games "What Remains of Edith Finch" and "Gorogoa" next spring.
According to Variety, the studio will focus more on developing "personal, emotional and original games." The games are said to go beyond the boundaries of interactive content, according to Annapurna's founder and CEO, Meagan Ellison. She mentioned that she has had a long-time passion for video games and stated that Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" released back in 1998 as one of her all-time favorites.
Meagan Ellison is the daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, the founder of the Oracle Corporation, an American multinational computer technology corporation. In regards to her desire to produce games, Ellison mentioned: "The artistry and diversity of interactive storytelling is exciting, and we look forward to exploring the limitless possibilities in gaming. We want to empower artists across this medium to make Annapurna Interactive their home, and I believe we've assembled the perfect team to make that happen."
According to IGN, Annapurna Interactive will be working with "Katamari Damacy" creator Keita Takahashi and "Monument Valley" developer Ken Wong to help in publishing games.
The new publishing studio will be collaborating with many of the industry veterans like those who have worked big titles like "God of War," "Mortal Kombat," "Journey," and more.
Speaking of the aforementioned games, "What Remains of Edith Finch", revealed in 2013, comes from developer Giant Sparrow, also known for making games like "The Unfinished Swan." For the other game, The game is collection of short stories about a cursed family and will be released for PS4.
Another of the games that Annapurna Interactive is publishing is "Gorogoa," a puzzle game developed by Jason Roberts. The game is about a story that could be told through rearranging panels to create new meaning in neighboring tiles. "Gorogoa" will be released on PC and mobile devices.