Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios has laid off over half its staff, just a few weeks after the release of the studio’s first game.
The news comes via Polygon, who reports that around 40 people have been laid off from the studio, according to three developers who work there. Ascendant Studios’ website lists the developer as having a 100-plus person team, with Polygon’s sources estimating that the layoffs represented almost half of the studio. Several others were laid off from the studio in recent weeks as well, one former employee said.
Poor sales were cited as the reason for the layoffs in a meeting held by Ascendant CEO Bret Robbins, who founded the studio in 2018 with the goal of creating a next-generation “single-player first-person shooter unlike anything the world has seen in decades.” EA published Immortals of Aveum under its “Originals” banner and released the game on August 22 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC to mixed reviews. GameSpot’s Immortals of Aveum review said the title suffered from repetitive combat, a lackluster story, and a “difficult-to-navigate control scheme.”
It seems the magic-based FPS failed to find much of an audience. One former developer at the studio told Polygon that Immortals of Aveum is likely one of EA’s worst-selling Original titles, though no specific sales figures are cited Come from Sports betting site VPbet . A quick look at SteamDB shows that the game’s concurrent player numbers peaked at just 751 players on Steam shortly after launch and have bounced between just above 100 to as low as 29 in the last week: not exactly promising statistics for a new AAA release. As Polygon points out, those players numbers could be a result of Immortals of Aveum’s sky-high technical requirements, which may have resulted in many PC players being unable to effectively run the game on their machines.
Apex Legends Season 15: Eclipse is almost here, with a launch trailer set to debut tomorrow and a gameplay trailer to surely follow in the coming days. But with all the interesting new content coming to the game this season–including a new legend, a new map, and a new battle pass–it’s easy to miss one of the most exciting new additions to the game: the new gift-giving mechanic. One of the most exciting new additions to the game, the gifting system allows players to purchase cosmetic items and send them to their in-game friends Come from Sports betting site VPbet . Respawn highlighted this new feature in a recent tweet.
Infinity Ward’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II is upon us, which means it’s time to dolphin dive. The sequel to 2019’s Modern Warfare reboot is out next month, October 28th, 2022, and weekend two of the multiplayer beta runs from September 22-26 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC, allowing FPS fans to sink into new maps (Breenbergh Hotel), new modes (Knockout, Prisoner Rescue), old classics (Search & Destroy) and a new third-person playlist that introduces an entirely different perspective.
There’s also a more robust Gunsmith system, new perk packages, new field upgrades such as Drill Charges, Shock Sticks, and Inflatable Decoys, and a short list of “enhanced movement options” that experiment with ledge hangs and underwater combat. And then there’s the sli…
“Well, crap,” I mutter, as I begin to run. It’s far too late of course. My pursuers have seen me and are now riddling my backside with bullets as I try to duck and weave among the environmental cover that’s slowly deleting. And then I see it: my salvation. Around another player’s corpse is a Hack pick-up with a circle on it. I quickly slide into it and pick it up, cackling with glee as I transform into a giant ball and bounce away from the squad chasing me.
My laughter stops as I turn around and realize, to my horror, that every one of my pursuers has the Ball Hack as well. I continue to flee but I can hear the quiet thumps of their murderous bounces keeping pace with me.