The company was founded as a division of Annapurna Pictures on December 1, 2016 as Annapurna's attempt to expand into the interactive game industry. The company's early staff was composed of existing Annapurna executives, producer Neale Hemrajani and Technology Head James Masi along with several video game veterans, including Nathan Gary, Deborah Mars, Hector Sanchez, and Jeff Legaspi, who had worked in Sony Interactive Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.[2] Jenova Chen also served as the company's advisor. The company aimed to publish games that are "personal, emotional, and original".[3]