Leanne Loombe Takes the Helm of Annapurna’s Gaming Division (Exclusive Reveal)

Megan Ellison has appointed Netflix games executive Leanne Loombe to lead Annapurna’s gaming division.

Loombe has been designated as executive vice president, in charge of games, and will concentrate on publishing, development, and creativity for the company’s gaming lineup, reporting to Hector Sanchez, the president of Interactive and New Media. Loombe stated, “I’m thrilled to enhance Annapurna’s legacy as a sanctuary for developers exploring the limits of storytelling.”

Recently, Loombe oversaw Netflix’s second and third-party game development and publishing activities, introducing titles such as Hades and Grand Theft Auto to the platform, enabling Netflix users to download and engage with over 150 games. Prior to this, Loombe held roles at Riot and EA, participating in franchises like League of Legends and Need for Speed.

“Few leaders possess Leanne’s extensive expertise across QA, publishing, and internal game development,” remarked Sanchez, who joined Annapurna from Epic this past summer. “She understands what it takes to create a quality game from the ground up, which makes her an excellent collaborator for our developers.”

“Leanne’s evident enthusiasm for games and commitment to developers, combined with her experience in delivering games to audiences worldwide, renders her an ideal match for Annapurna,” expressed Ellison. “I’m eager to bring her onto the team as we continue to expand our games enterprise and assist our developers in redefining the frontiers of interactive entertainment.”

Loombe steps in as head of Annapurna’s gaming sector during a period of transition. In September, Annapurna announced that its then-president, Nathan Gary, who also managed the company’s video game activities, would be leaving along with the co-leads of Annapurna’s indie gaming unit, Deborah Mars and Nathan Vella. Later, Bloomberg reported that Gary and over two dozen staff members from the gaming division resigned after discussions to separate the video game sector from the larger entity did not succeed.

Loombe will oversee Annapurna’s internal publishing team, reporting to Sanchez, who will continue to lead the company’s broader gaming strategy and collaborations with other Annapurna departments to adapt game intellectual properties into film, television, and various media. Recently, Annapurna finalized a deal to adapt the games Control and Alan Wake for screen adaptations. An animated movie based on the Annapurna title Stray is already in development.

Since commencing its gaming operations in 2016, Annapurna has risen in the indie gaming sector, producing award-winning indie titles such as What Remains of Edith Finch and Stray, the latter selling millions of units in its debut month and receiving the gaming industry’s equivalent of an Oscar in 2022. Other praised titles include Cocoon and Outer Wilds.

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