Ascendant Studios lays off nearly half of its staff after 'Immortals of Aveum' flops

Ascendant Studios

Ascendant Studios, the developer behind Immortals of Aveum, a first-person shooter with magic elements, has announced that it is cutting almost half its staff. The layoffs come just weeks after the game’s launch. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), CEO Bret Robbins said that the company had to make this “painfully difficult, but necessary” decision that would affect around 45 percent of its workers (about 40 people). He added that Ascendant would provide severance packages and job placement assistance to those who were let go. The remaining employees will keep working on the game for now.

Immortals of Aveum is the debut title from Ascendant, an independent studio that boasts veteran developers in its ranks. However, the game faced stiff competition from other major releases. Publisher EA did not choose an optimal launch window either.

The game was originally slated for July 22, but it was delayed by a month to August 22. This put it in direct conflict with some of the most anticipated games of the year, such as Baldur’s Gate III, Armored Core VI, and Starfield. And even if Immortals of Aveum had been pushed back further, it would have had to contend with a crowded fall season that includes many blockbuster titles.

On top of all of that, the game received mixed reviews from critics and players alike, and its sales performance was reportedly disappointing. On Steam, the game’s peak player count was only 751, which is a fraction of what Starfield achieved on the same platform (more than 440 times as much).

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