Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendent Studios has reportedly furloughed most of its workforce

According to reports, Ascendent Studios, the California-based developer behind last year's Immortals of Aveum, has furloughed the majority of its staff, just half a year after major layoffs.

The details:

• Former Ascendent principal engineer Kris Morness was the first to share the news on LinkedIn, which was later confirmed by Polygon's Nicole Carpenter, who stated that "a large portion" of employees had been affected.

• The exact number of employees affected is unknown at this time, as Ascendent has yet to respond to requests for comment. Morness, who worked at the studio during its peak headcount, estimates that around 30 employees have been furloughed out of the team totaling 40 to 45 people.

• Immortal of Aveum, which launched in August 2023, received mixed reviews along with disappointing sales, prompting Ascendent to lay off nearly half of its staff a month later. Despite the studio's CEO, Bret Robbins, blaming its poor commercial performance on a hectic launch schedule, a former developer admitted that the company's decision to create a single-player FPS for $125 million was an "awful idea" from the start.

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