The Unwritten Story of Immortals of Aveum

In 2023, Immortals of Aveum ranked 469th among the best-selling games in Europe. Although this ranking may not be bad for a small developer, it was a different story for a AAA fantasy shooter created by a 100-person dev team led by a former Call of Duty creative director and published by EA. The game's poor sales led to the layoff of 40 employees at Ascendant Studio just a month after its release. Studio founder Bret Robbins attributes the game's failure to a crowded market, with major titles like Zelda, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and Baldur's Gate 3 drawing attention away from Immortals of Aveum. Despite the challenges, Robbins believes that the story of Immortals of Aveum is not yet over, and the game's sales have improved with a 50% discount and the release of new content. Robbins also notes that launching a new IP is much harder than expected, and the critical consensus was polarized. However, fan reaction was generally positive, with user scores ranging from 75-86% across various stores. The game's development budget was reportedly $85 million, and Robbins admits that the ambition was to make a AAA game, but the competition is extremely fierce. Ascendant continues to update the game and is building another internal title, with Robbins expressing pride in what the team has accomplished and recognizing that the game is 100% AAA. The studio is also eyeing other projects, and Robbins believes that the team has made a name for itself by putting out a good-quality game. Despite the current challenges in the games industry, Robbins remains positive, noting that 2023 was encouraging in terms of game quality and the number of people playing them. He emphasizes the importance of innovation and new IP, encouraging players to 'vote with their wallet' if they want to see more original games. Ultimately, Robbins concludes that Ascendant's story is just beginning, and Immortals of Aveum is only the first chapter.