Summary
One ofImmortals of Aveum’sformer developers has spoken about why the EA-backed magic shooter may have struggled to find success. A story-driven single-player FPS campaign that lets players wield different types of magic,Immortals of Aveumwas released in August 2023 to solid reception, but ultimately failed to gain any sort of substantial following.
As Ascendant Studios' debut game, and the largest game under the EA Originals publishing banner to date,Immortals of Aveumseemed quite promising to fans of first-person shooters in the lead up to its release. However, launching around the same time as other juggernauts such asStarfield, Baldur’s Gate 3,andArmored Core 6: Fires of RubicondidImmortals of Aveumno favors. As a result of poor sales, Ascendant made the unfortunate decision to let go of nearly half its staffnot even a full month afterImmortals ofAveum’s release.
In speaking with IGN, an anonymous former Ascendant Studio developer who was affected by the studio’s layoffs has expressed why the project may not have been such a great idea in the first place. Revealing thatImmortals of Aveumhad a huge budget of $125 million, $40 million of which was used for marketing and distribution, the developer claims that the title was “massively overscoped for a studio’s debut project.” With so much budget allocated to marketing, it’s a wonder howImmortals of Aveum’s launchseemed to have come and gone with such little hype or buzz.
The anonymous developer went on to describe some of the fundamental reasons they believe causedImmortals of Aveum’s sales woes, citing the fact that it’s anew IP using Unreal Engine 5, and claiming that attempting to make a AAA single-player FPS in the current video game market is a bad idea. The developer also calledAveumbloated and repetitive, expressing that the story campaign overstays its welcome. While the game’s seemingly weak marketing efforts may have certainly been a leading cause ofAveum’s sales struggles, the fact that it’s a new IP and a single-player FPS experience in a landscape that sees remakes, sequels, and online multiplayer service games thrive may have also played a significant role.
Sure, there was some serious talent on the development team, but trying to make a AAA single-player shooter in today’s market was a truly awful idea, especially since it was a new IP that was also trying to leverage Unreal Engine 5. - Former Ascendant Studios Developer via IGN
What’s Next For Ascendant Studios?
Despite losing half its staff, Ascendant Studios still remains open and active. Whether the studio beefs back up for another crack at a big-budget AAA title or perhaps takes on smaller-scale projects for the time being remains to be seen. The question of whether it’ll continue working with EA under the Originals umbrella is also a big one, as the program is mostly known to producesmaller experiences likeIt Takes TwoandLost in Random. The former Ascendant developer mentioned how the studio did a lot right, such as having little overtime, fair compensation, fully allowing remote work, and more. Hopefully, Ascendant Studios continues such healthy practices in the future.
Immortals of Aveum
WHERE TO PLAY
Immortals of Aveum is a single-player first person magic shooter that tells the story of Jak as he joins an elite order of battlemages to save a world on the edge of abyss. With legions of soldiers on both sides of the Everwar, he must uncover the mysteries of Aveum’s troubled past, if there’s any hope for saving its future. Master three forces of magic and unleash spells with deadly skill in a game that defies FPS conventions.Join the order of Immortals, the champion protectors of Lucium, and become Jak, an elite Triarch Magnus.
