An internal power struggle led to the downfall of Annapurna Interactive. As Ubisoft suffers from the same issue, Shadows might end up getting canned.

It isn’t just Ubisoft that’s imploding; the mind behind the popular game Stray, Annapurna Interactive, is also suffering from the same fate. Earlier this month, the company lost the entirety of its staff after they came together to resign and walk out. This news came as a shock to a number of people as the company has published some of the best titles in the industry.

However, new reports have surfaced online, shedding light on the struggles in Annapurna Interactive. The similarities between Annapurna’s downfall and Ubisoft’s are quite striking, which makes everyone question if the next Assassin’s Creed game will ever hit the shelves.

Annapurna Interactive’s Internal-Power Struggles Crippled Gaming Division

Annapurna imploded due to leadership issues. (Image via Annapurna)

Thanks to Jason Schreier’s in-depth reporting, we finally have some clues about what’s been going on at Annapurna Interactive. The entire division crumbled amid a power struggle that left the team fractured, and many developers were questing for their entire future.

The heart of this entire issue stems from a power struggle between the central figures at Annapurna. Megan Ellison, the boss, had a close relationship with Hector Sanchez, a former executive at PlayStation, as a point of contention.

This was visible through their clashes with Nathan Gary, who led the company’s gaming section. Sanchez had his own controversies, such as making unwanted advances towards employees and not giving people credit where it was due.

When Sanchez departed, it ended up leaving a power vacuum that triggered the fallout. Annapurna’s entire gaming team decided to resign in solidarity with Gary, who was axed from his position. The decisions taken by Ellison were shortsighted and could prove to be distasteful for the gaming division of the company, which had been doing relatively well compared to the film division.

The entire situation highlights the severe issues among leadership in creative industries. Favored alliances can often leave gaming companies vulnerable when it comes to decision-making, something even Ubisoft has been struggling with in recent weeks.

Ubisoft Slumps Due to Leadership Issues as Well

Shadows’ fate is still in doubt due to issues internal issues at French-publisher. (Image via Ubisoft)

At the end of 2023, Ubisoft still stood as one of the video game publishers in the world in terms of revenue. Despite all that, the company has been struggling hard in recent months. The French publishers’ recent projects have been a complete bust, which has heavily plummeted the company’s value, and stocks reaching a decade low.

So why is Ubisoft failing? Well, it’s the same case as Annapurna; its leadership basically has no idea where to take the company. In the last couple of years, it has failed to innovate, unlike the competition, and has arguably given us some of the most underwhelming titles of the decades. The community’s perception of the company isn’t helped by the fact that the company’s top executives tell gamers to get “comfortable not owning games.”

Unlike Annapurna, Ubisoft has realized the mess it’s going through right now and has ordered an internal probe to investigate its issues and how it can cater better to gamers. This has led to the publisher delaying the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows until 2025.

Not only is the French publisher delaying the game, but it has also announced that pre-orders will be refunded. This isn’t uncommon, though it’s quite rare for a company to refund pre-orders when delaying a game.

When you add this to the fact that Ubisoft is currently unstable and growing through various changes, there’s a chance that the studio might completely ditch Shadows.

Seriously, the community’s reaction to Shadows‘ hasn’t been the best. It might be in the best interest of the company to ditch the project altogether and get back to the drawing board to deliver a game that isn’t a disappointment. This will certainly help Ubisoft win the players’ trust again.

Do you think Ubisoft should abandon Assassins’ Creed Shadows and work on a brand-new project altogether? If so, let us know in the comments below.