Private Division, the indie game label from Take-Two, has reportedly been taken over by staff who departed Annapurna Interactive last year.
Per Bloomberg, the new, still-unnamed company will inherit games and franchises previously published under the Private Division banner. The titles that will fall under this new firm’s purview include the Kerbal Space Program series, and an unannounced project from Pokémon developer Game Freak.
Last November, it was reported Take-Two had sold the label to a then-unknown company. According to Bloomberg, the buyer was the Austin-based private equity firm Haveli, which reportedly struck a deal to fund the Annapurna alums’ new venture. As a result of this purchase, some of the near-20 Private Division staffers will be laid off.
What happened with Private Division and Annapurna Interactive
Last summer, the Grand Theft Auto publisher planned to either close (or shut down) Private Division. That was preceded by the full closure of Roll7 (Rollerdrome, OlliOlli) and layoffs at Kerbal creator Intercept Games. Yellow Brick Games and Bloober Team, two developers whose projects were to be published by Private Division, respectively switched to self-publishing or had their deal with the label fully dissolved.
Over at Annapurna Interactive, an alleged power struggle primarily between studio leadership led to a resignation wave among staff. Among its many issues, the video game division of the popular film studio was reportedly set to launch its own offshoot called Verset, which would handle current and future Annapurna Interactive deals, and indie work of its own.
Instead, discussions between Verset’s planned leaders, James Masi and Nathan Gary, and Interactive co-founder Megan Ellison hit a standstill. Despite attempted negotiations, the 25-person Interactive staff all departed. The reported plan at the time for the staff was to launch its own publisher. What remains of Annapurna Interactive began hiring staff so it could make good on pre-existing deals.
Bloomberg’s full report on Private Division’s new situation can be read here.