An anonymous developer who worked on Immortals of Aveum has criticized the decision to release the game with such a large budget. The game, which was released on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, received decent reviews but experienced poor sales. The game reportedly cost around $125 million to develop, with $40 million invested by EA for marketing and distribution. The developer stated that making a single-player game with such a massive budget was a bad idea, especially for a new IP trying to leverage Unreal Engine 5.
Another developer from Ascendant Studios, still employed at the studio, expressed frustration that despite meeting player preferences, the game still failed to sell well. They also pointed out that the studio did many things right, such as paying employees well, offering a remote work environment, and respecting quality assurance practices, but it still did not work out in the end.
In addition, one industry insider suggested that despite layoffs at Ascendant, it may not be a result of mismanagement or greed, but rather the challenges of operating in a volatile market that requires significant capital to participate in at a professional studio level.
Overall, it seems that Immortals of Aveum faced challenges despite its positive reviews and player preferences, ultimately leading to layoffs at Ascendant Studios.
