Immortals of Aveum creator Ascendant Studios laid off an unprecedented number of workers after their first major title flops. Read on to learn about the situation, the cause of these layoffs, and the future of Ascendant Studios.
Ascendant Studios To Lose Much Of Its Production Team
AS CEO Makes ‘Necessary’ Decision
Initially announced by Ascendant CEO Bret Robbins in a meeting this Thursday, followed up with an update on Twitter (X), that around half of their entire team was to be let go. The studio’s CEO expressed his sympathy to those who departed from their team, stating that the decision was a difficult but necessary one.
Another Studio Falls To 2023’s String Of Layoffs
Ascendant Studios is just one of many studios to make layoffs in 2023. Earlier this year, Firaxis, developers of 2022’s tactical superhero game Marvel’s Midnight Suns, likewise had to reduce their workforce, along with other titans like Sony and CD Projekt RED. Various reasons were cited for these layoffs, but it clearly follows a trend of needing to lower their costs after their releases fail.
Debut Game Flop Cited As Cause For Layoffs
As if to confirm the pattern, the poor market performance of Ascendant Studios’ debut game, Immortals of Aveum, was considered to be the cause for the decision. The game was initially slated for a July release but was delayed until late August. This put it in direct competition with much more anticipated titles like Starfield and Armored Core VI. The game’s high technical requirement on launch only made matters worse, alienating potential players further.
With such a disastrous start, it was no surprise that the game peaked at a measly 800 players on Steam shortly after launch, plummeting to less than a hundred in the following weeks. Several members of the development team were also laid off in the weeks leading up to this Thursday’s announcement, and the timing so soon after Immortals of Aveum’s failure paints a clear picture of what happened.
The Fate Of The Departed
Bret Robbins stated in his Twitter update that the people affected by the layoffs were given a comprehensive severance package as support. The studio has also pledged to provide them job placement assistance moving forward, with much of the update (and some of the comments) reaching out to other companies on behalf of their former employees.
Moving Forward with Immortals
Bret Robbins explains further in his tweet that Ascendant Studios will continue to work on and develop the Immortals IP, even with most of the original development team gone. Only time will tell if these changes will serve Ascendant Studios well in the long run.
