One of Immortals of Aveum's former 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 Aveum was 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 Aveum seemed 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 as Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, and Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon did Immortals of Aveum no favors. As a result of poor sales, Ascendant made the unfortunate decision to let go of nearly half its staff not even a full month after Immortals of Aveum's release.
In speaking with IGN, an anonymous former Asendant 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 that Immortals of Aveum had 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 how Immortals of Aveum's launch seemed 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 caused Immortals of Aveum's sales woes, citing the fact that it's a new 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 called Aveum bloated 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 of Aveum'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
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
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
A developer at Respawn Entertainment has provided an update about the possibility of Ranked Duos coming to Apex Legends, revealing that there are no current plans for the mode. While Apex Legends has a regular Duos option for fans who enjoy playing on smaller squads, some were hoping for a more competitive version of the mode.
Insomniac Games has released a public statement in response to layoffs at the studio announced this week by parent company Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Electronic Arts (EA) has shared that Ridgeline Games, one of its Battlefield-focused studios, will be closing. The announcement accompanied the news of mass layoffs hitting EA, with 670 employees to be laid off. Ridgeline Games was responsible for the development of the single-player Battlefield project, which will be handed off to another studio.
Electronic Arts has announced that it’s laying off roughly 670 people, and as you might imagine, a number of studios owned by the company are set to be impacted. One of the more severe cases is Ridgeline Games, which is being shuttered entirely. This follows the studio’s head and narrative director Marcus Lehto recently announcing his departure.
When EA revealed that it was adopting a new multi-studio development model for the Battlefield franchise in 2021, it confirmed that Ripple Effect Studios – previously DICE LA – was at work on a “new” Battlefield “experience”. But with DICE and Ridgeline Games currently working on the series’ next mainline instalment (which is allegedly due out in October 2025), what should we expect from how Ripple Effect’s game will fit into the picture?
PlayStation Studios head Hermen Hulst has confirmed that some projects have been cancelled in the wake of layoffs across Sony Interactive Entertainment.
PlayStation is the latest name to join an increasingly long list of companies that have been hit with layoffs in just the first two months of what’s already been a brutal year for the industry. With around 900 jobs being cut, a number of first-party studios are set to be impacted, including Naughty Dog, Insomniac Games, Guerrilla, and Firesprite.
As it lays off around 900 people across Sony's stable of studios, including cuts at Naughty Dog, Insomniac, and the entirety of now-defunct PlayStation London, PlayStation Studios is also canning multiple unannounced projects.
One of the biggest draws of the Road House reimagining is the acting debut of MMA fighter and former UFC champion Conor McGregor. However, as he tells Total Film in our new issue, which features Road House on the cover, this is by no means the first film offer he's received.
Ridgeline Games, a relatively new development studio owned by publishing giant Electronic Arts, has lost one of its founders. This comes after one of the studio's key figures also left in January and joined another game company.