Nice to get some details on what went down. This matches up closely with what I figured must have happened. It sounds like the former team may be intending to stay together and start a new...
Nice to get some details on what went down. This matches up closely with what I figured must have happened. It sounds like the former team may be intending to stay together and start a new company, Versat. If that is the case, I wish them all the best.
I really wonder what prompted Ellison to do this. She was taking the only correct course of action for a nepo-baby, which is to empower people who actually know their stuff and let them do their...
I really wonder what prompted Ellison to do this. She was taking the only correct course of action for a nepo-baby, which is to empower people who actually know their stuff and let them do their job. And sure enough, Annapurna Interactive put out hit after hit. What happened?
Beyond what people say about Ellison wanting to mooch off a successful business, the Verstat negotiations imply a lot. The origial team had an amazing eye for promising projects, but at the end of...
Beyond what people say about Ellison wanting to mooch off a successful business, the Verstat negotiations imply a lot.
The origial team had an amazing eye for promising projects, but at the end of the day, all the critical and artistic success will never compare to the revenue generated from a high profile game with all the big name ip and monetization bells and whistles.
The way this reads to me, Nathan Gary is committed to his vision and steered clear of obvious cash grabs. Ellison couldn't jusg fire him as a competent leader. She failed to pull off a successful character assassination by painting him as a poor leader and moved to Plan B. She figured he would walk if someone like Masi was "made redundent" out of the blue. Then she could pick up the reins and ride her respected company to AAA greatness. But the staff didn't magically fall in line so she moved to plan C.
Let the team go and make all their artsy indie games and she could maintain the Annapurna brand (and a bulk of the revenue). It's the best of both worlds and would probably be in their best interests. But she couldn't even stay cordial for long enough to get ink on paper. I'd love to hear the very important reasons why they had to publicly announce that they were backchannel dealing, while in active negotiations.
It feels like just another case of an exec looking at their machine that prints extra crash with no efforton on their part. And they throw a tantrum because it's not the best possible money printing machine with the prestige and exponential returns year on year.
And it's not an isolated incident. For people that justify their worth as "high level strategic geniuses", they don't seem to understand the idea of unforeseen consequences.
Based on what was described, I'd guess that her dad reamed her out pretty hard since he had to step in back in 2018, followed by her going silent in 2019 while it struggled. I guess after a few...
Based on what was described, I'd guess that her dad reamed her out pretty hard since he had to step in back in 2018, followed by her going silent in 2019 while it struggled. I guess after a few years she felt enough time had passed and the company had stabilized enough, so she could take over again and take credit for all the successes.
Basically hit and run management (or "seagull management" if you want a cruder name). They want to be able to take credit and feel they are doing something, even though the best move for the...
Basically hit and run management (or "seagull management" if you want a cruder name). They want to be able to take credit and feel they are doing something, even though the best move for the company is to simply observe and let the company run with minimal input.
I'd love to see an interview series where execs who made poor, selfish decisions can reflect our loud on how dumb they were a month after. Looking at you too, The Escapist
I'd love to see an interview series where execs who made poor, selfish decisions can reflect our loud on how dumb they were a month after.
Nice to get some details on what went down. This matches up closely with what I figured must have happened. It sounds like the former team may be intending to stay together and start a new company, Versat. If that is the case, I wish them all the best.
I really wonder what prompted Ellison to do this. She was taking the only correct course of action for a nepo-baby, which is to empower people who actually know their stuff and let them do their job. And sure enough, Annapurna Interactive put out hit after hit. What happened?
Beyond what people say about Ellison wanting to mooch off a successful business, the Verstat negotiations imply a lot.
The origial team had an amazing eye for promising projects, but at the end of the day, all the critical and artistic success will never compare to the revenue generated from a high profile game with all the big name ip and monetization bells and whistles.
The way this reads to me, Nathan Gary is committed to his vision and steered clear of obvious cash grabs. Ellison couldn't jusg fire him as a competent leader. She failed to pull off a successful character assassination by painting him as a poor leader and moved to Plan B. She figured he would walk if someone like Masi was "made redundent" out of the blue. Then she could pick up the reins and ride her respected company to AAA greatness. But the staff didn't magically fall in line so she moved to plan C.
Let the team go and make all their artsy indie games and she could maintain the Annapurna brand (and a bulk of the revenue). It's the best of both worlds and would probably be in their best interests. But she couldn't even stay cordial for long enough to get ink on paper. I'd love to hear the very important reasons why they had to publicly announce that they were backchannel dealing, while in active negotiations.
It feels like just another case of an exec looking at their machine that prints extra crash with no efforton on their part. And they throw a tantrum because it's not the best possible money printing machine with the prestige and exponential returns year on year.
And it's not an isolated incident. For people that justify their worth as "high level strategic geniuses", they don't seem to understand the idea of unforeseen consequences.
Based on what was described, I'd guess that her dad reamed her out pretty hard since he had to step in back in 2018, followed by her going silent in 2019 while it struggled. I guess after a few years she felt enough time had passed and the company had stabilized enough, so she could take over again and take credit for all the successes.
Basically hit and run management (or "seagull management" if you want a cruder name). They want to be able to take credit and feel they are doing something, even though the best move for the company is to simply observe and let the company run with minimal input.
I'd love to see an interview series where execs who made poor, selfish decisions can reflect our loud on how dumb they were a month after.
Looking at you too, The Escapist