On Twitter, Ascendant Studios CEO Bret Robbins revealed nearly half the staff at the company have been laid off.
— Bret Robbins (@BretRobbins) September 14, 2023
“Today, we are heartbroken as we part ways with friends and colleagues at Ascendant Studios – about 45% of our team,” says Robbins’ post.
“This was a painfully difficult but necessary decision that was not made lightly – nevertheless, we have to make this adjustment now that Immortals of Aveum has shipped.
“We are supporting those affected in every way we can, including comprehensive severance packages and job placement assistance, as well as support services for those who remain.”
The layoffs come just weeks after Ascendant Studios launched its first game, Immortals of Aveum. On Steam, the game peaked at 751 players. It also received a lukewarm reception from critics despite having an impressive world worth visiting. According to Polygon, it doesn’t help that almost no one’s PC could smoothly run Immortals of Aveum.
Immortals of Aveum launched on August 29 under EA’s EA Originals program, where games like It Takes Two and Wild Hearts launched. However, it launched against some of the year’s biggest games, including Baldur’s Gate 3 on PlayStation, Starfield, and Armored Core 6.
“I am so proud of what our independent development team has accomplished with Immortals of Aveum. Together we’ve created a new AAA studio, a new IP, on new technology, during an era of our industry when that is exceedingly rare. We’ve poured our passion into Immortals, while wearing our hearts on our sleeves. The studio will continue to work that way as we support the development of this game and our Immortals IP moving forward with future updates and offers,” said Robbins.
