Ascendant Studios, the Californian company founded by former Electronic Arts developers, has lost almost half of its employees in a wave of layoffs.
Polygon‘s report attributed this to the poor commercial performance of its debut title, Immortals Of Aveum, though no sales statistics were supplied in the official statement. CEO Bret Robbins said he was “heartbroken” to be imparting the news and that it was a “painfully difficult, but necessary decision that was not made lightly”.
“I am so proud of what out independent development team has accomplished with Immortals Of Aveum,” he continued in a post to X. “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.”
Robbins thanked those who were affected by the layoffs – approximately 45 per cent of the team – for their “invaluable contributions to Ascendant’s culture” and their “tremendous impact” on Immortals Of Aveum.
Sitting at an average score of 70 across PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X reviews, Immortals Of Aveum lost out on its lacklustre narrative and repetitive structure. However, praise was paid to the character and environment art as well as the excitement of its combat.
“If they wanted to have me in the writing room for a potential sequel, I’d be there,” said actor Darren Barnet, who plays the protagonist Jak, in an interview with NME earlier this year.
Immortals Of Aveum‘s cast also comprised Anna Brisbin, Antonio Aakeel, Charles Halford, Gina Torres, Lily Cowles, Nick Boraine and Steven Brand.
In other gaming news, Jackbox Party Pack 10‘s Dodo Re Mi minigame pits players’ musical ability against each other to survive, but coming up with the concept was “borderline torture”.
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