New Start for Private Division: Former Annapurna Interactive Staff Take the Helm

If you enjoy independent indie game coverage, consider supporting Indie-Games.eu on Patreon. It helps keep the site independent.

Private Division, the indie publishing label under the umbrella of Take-Two Interactive, has reportedly found a new direction. Former employees who left Annapurna Interactive last year have formed an as-yet-unnamed studio that will now manage Private Division’s portfolio.

According to a Bloomberg report, the new studio is taking over several key titles, including the popular Kerbal Space Program series and an unannounced project from Pokémon developer, Game Freak. This transition comes after Take-Two sold Private Division last November to the Austin-based private investment firm Haveli, which has since financed the new venture. Unfortunately, the acquisition led to the layoff of some of Private Division’s nearly 20 employees.

The story of Private Division’s transition reflects broader changes within the indie gaming scene. Last year, Take-Two planned to shut down the publisher, which followed the closure of Roll7 (the studio behind Rollerdrome and OlliOlli) and layoffs at Intercept Games, the creators of Kerbal Space Program. Concurrently, Annapurna Interactive faced internal conflicts, leading to the resignation of an entire team of 25 people. Plans to create a new publishing branch called Verset fell through amid disagreements, prompting the employees to strike out on their own.