Ascendant Studios released its first game, Immortals of Aveum, in August 2023. It is well known for not doing well with sales and for releasing near Baldur’s Gate 3. It was developed by a team of 100 people led by Bret Robbins, previously a creative director for Call of Duty.
According to an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, The game faced tough competition as it was launched alongside popular titles such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Starfield, which may have affected its visibility. The game is not yet dead, and the studio founder, Bret Robbins, wants to keep going.
Robbins thinks the game’s “initial “mostly positive” reception on Steam shows its quality. He also mentions that Immortals of Aveum was made on a lower budget than similar games. He points out the game’s 25-hour campaign, positive industry feedback, and continuous support from the development team.
“When we were heading to launch, we knew it was very crowded. This was a very unusual year. Zelda had come out, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was a little before us. And as we were nearing launch, Baldur’s Gate 3 suddenly blew up right in front of us. That one, more than any of the others, seemed unanticipated. We knew we had Armored Core 6 the same week, and we were worried about that. And Starfield was like ten days after us. We were sandwiched between a lot of different big games, or games from really big studios. We absolutely got lost in the noise. And that was unfortunate, because we pushed the date out a bit in order to get a good polish pass done, to get performance better [it was originally due July 20, but launched August 22]. Although the game was better, the timing was worse.”
Bret Robbins
While the studio recognizes the financial challenges due to lower-than-expected sales, resulting in job cuts, they are hopeful about the future. They highlight the positive feedback from players who found the game later, especially during sales events, as an indication of its promise. That may not be enough to garner a profit for the company, though.
Robbins stressed the significance of players financially backing new IPs if they want to see more innovation in the industry. That’s weird because it looks like a clone of what was becoming popular at the time. I have read positive reviews, and I’ve not seen this innovation he spoke of.
While Immortals of Aveum may not have been as successful as anticipated, Ascendant Studios is continuing its development efforts. We’ll see what this studio has to offer, but it’s strange that they’re still operating when it’s a volatile time in the industry. Hopefully, they can gain a profit and grow into a respectable development studio.
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