Ascendant Studios, the developer of "Immortals of Aveum," has laid off almost half of its workforce only three weeks after it released the single-player first-person shooter game. This comes as concerns have been raised that the game has very high technical requirements, which may have resulted in fewer players.
"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 was shipped," Bret Robbins, the studio's CEO, said in a post on X on Thursday.
— Bret Robbins (@BretRobbins) September 14, 2023
Robbins said the gaming company was supporting departing employees through "comprehensive" severance packages that include outplacement assistance and "support services for those who remain."
The exact number of laid-off and remaining employees is unknown.
Workers estimated that the San Rafael, California-based studio, had between 80 and 100 staffers. Around 40 people were laid off Thursday, Polygon reported.
Some users on X have since expressed sadness over the news. One user said it was "a shame it came down to this," adding that "Immortals of Aveum," which was released on Aug. 22, was a "fun game to experience and play through."
It's a shame it came down to this. I hope everyone affected finds work quickly.
— shade (@innoshades) September 14, 2023
Thank you Bret and the rest of the team at @AscendantStudio for all the hard work in giving us Immortals. It was such a fun game to experience and play through.
Well this is very disheartening news. I personally loved the game; minus a few small tweaks. Wishing the best to everyone that was let go and to the future of the company. 😔 #ImmortalsOfAveum pic.twitter.com/xwmIfnxaeC
— The Monarch Maestro! 🦾 (@TheBanditKing05) September 15, 2023
Another user said it was "very disheartening" to learn about the layoffs. One user said the game was "breathtaking to look at," adding that affected employees should know that they "created something special for many of us."
Immortals of Aveum is a great game; I love the story, Jak, Kirkan, and, of course, the magic! You and your team created a beautiful new world, and I hope the game finds its audience and great success so we get more of it. All the best to the team members laid off; I hope they… pic.twitter.com/XfabCbN18k
— Jonat2Go (@Jonat2Go) September 14, 2023
Sad to hear as I have actually really enjoyed the game. Breathtaking to look at and the gameplay/ story has kept me invested.
— Ashes2Ashes (@The_Ashes2Ashes) September 14, 2023
Hope all those affected find homes, and please know that you all created something special for many of us.
The news of the layoffs came as the Electronics Arts-published game peaked at under 800 Steam players shortly after it was launched. Data from SteamDB showed that the game only saw a peak of 67 players in the last 24 hours.
Eventhough this is a shame to see, you made sure nobody would be able to play your game. UE 5 with zero optimizations meant nobody had the hardware to play this. Shame gamers not being able to enjoy your game, shame the devs were let go. A really sad situation all around.
— Pyke (@Pyke_64) September 14, 2023
Responding to the layoff announcement by Robbins, one X user said that the developer "made sure nobody would be able to play your game," echoing The Verge's early review of "Immortals of Aveum" which said the game had very high technical requirements. The outlet noted that based on the game's GPU requirements, it was likely that under 9% of existing gaming PCs would have the necessary specs to play the game.
A former worker told Polygon that the game was likely one of EA's worst-selling original releases. EA said in December that the Ascendant Studios game was a "groundbreaking" title. At the time, the general manager of EA Partners, Jeff Gamon, said the team at Ascendant Studios was "incredible," as "every team member has a wealth of experience developing many of gaming's biggest cinematic action and first-person shooter games over the past decade."
One former software engineer joked that after getting a "platinum trophy" for his work on "Immortals of Aveum," he got a "lousy pink slip" in return.
Well, I just got the platinum trophy for Immortals of Aveum, and all I got in return was this lousy pink slip.
— Shaan Joshi (@KneehighPark) September 14, 2023
Jokes aside, nearly half of Ascendant Studio employees were laid off today. Please like/share so we can get some visibility w/ recruiters and other studios.
Ascendant Studios joins other gaming studios and publishers that laid off employees this year, including Unity, EA, Ubisoft, Phoenix Labs and Riot Games.
In the greater tech sector, more than 235,600 employees have lost their jobs, as per the layoff tracker layoffs.fyi.
