Developer Ascendant Studios, the studio behind Immortals of Aveum, has laid off nearly half of its staff according to the company’s CEO in a message.
Poor sales cited as the reported reason behind layoffs
In a report on the move, Polygon notes that anonymous employees say that around 40 people of the 80-100 in the company have been laid off. According to the employees, the news came during a meeting on Thursday, in which poor sales were cited as one of the reasons for the decision.
The company’s latest game, Immortals of Aveum, was released just a few weeks ago on the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC. Despite early excitement around the title, it released to mixed reviews and, combined with its reportedly very intense PC requirements, didn’t garner a huge player base upon its launch.
Following Polygon’s report on the news, as well as tweets from employees who had been laid off, Ascendant Studios CEO Bret Robbins confirmed the news in a tweet. In it, he notes that the company has laid off “about 45%” of the team, a decision he calls “painfully difficult, but necessary.”
Robbins said that the company was going to support those affected by the layoffs with severance packages and job placement assistance, and also noted that he was “so proud of what our independent development team” had accomplished.
“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 has shipped,” said Robbins in his statement. “We are supporting those affected in every way we can, including comprehensive severance packages and job placement assistance, as well as support services for those who remain.”
