By Sagar V. Mankar 
Annapurna Interactive has appointed Leanne Loombe, a former Netflix Games executive, as its new head of games. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Loombe will oversee the company’s publishing, development, and creative divisions.
She will report directly to Hector Sanchez, president of interactive and new media at Annapurna. Sanchez, who returned to the company last June after a five-year stint at Epic Games, expressed confidence in Loombe’s ability to lead.
“Leanne brings extensive experience in QA, publishing, and game development,” Sanchez said. “Her deep understanding of what makes a good game is what makes her an excellent partner for our developers.”
Loombe shared her enthusiasm for the role in a LinkedIn post, stating, “I’ve always admired Annapurna for supporting developers with strong creative visions. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build a place where creators feel at home. I’m excited to help shape the future of storytelling.”
In Netflix, Loombe served as vice president of external games, and played a key role in establishing the company’s gaming division. She managed partnerships with second and third-party developers, expanding Netflix’s game portfolio significantly. Her effort led to the addition of GTA Trilogy, Hades, Street Fighter 6, Civilization 6, and many more third-party titles to the growing list of Netflix Games.
Before Netflix, Loombe led third- and second-party development at Riot Forge, a publishing label under Riot Games. She also spent six years at Electronic Arts, working as a lead producer at Criterion Games and an executive producer at Ghost Games.
Loombe’s appointment comes after a challenging period for Annapurna. In mid-September, the entire staff of its video game publishing division resigned following an internal dispute between company president Nathan Gary and studio head Megan Ellison, according to Bloomberg. Efforts to spin off the gaming division as an independent entity collapsed when Ellison withdrew from negotiations, prompting mass resignations, including Gary and other executives.
Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, LinkedIn