A recent report has illuminated the extent of EA’s investment in its single-player FPS, Immortals of Aveum, shedding light on its mixed reviews and financial underperformance.
Launched in August 2023 amidst a bustling year of game releases, Immortals of Aveum found itself competing with heavyweight titles like Diablo 4, Starfield, and Baldur’s Gate 3.
Developed by Ascendant Studios, the game touted itself as a fusion of “Call of Duty with magic,” presenting an intriguing concept that some, including myself, believed deserved more recognition. However, it fell short of EA’s expectations, leading to a significant downsizing of about 45% of the studio’s workforce shortly after its release.
While Ascendant Studios’ CEO, Bret Robbins, attributed Immortals’ lackluster sales to the crowded release schedule of the previous year, an anonymous former employee speaking to IGN suggested that fundamental flaws in the game’s concept and budget were the primary culprits for its failure.
According to the former employee, Immortals was overly ambitious for a debut project, with a development cost of approximately $85 million, supplemented by $40 million from EA for marketing and distribution.
Despite the presence of talented developers, attempting to create a AAA single-player shooter in today’s market proved to be ill-advised, particularly as a new IP leveraging Unreal Engine 5. The end result was a bloated, repetitive campaign that overstayed its welcome.
Regardless of the precise reasons for Immortals of Aveum’s lack of success, its failure is disheartening, as it further discourages major studios from investing in high-budget, single-player action games, a genre that is increasingly scarce. The impact on passionate developers facing redundancies is deeply regrettable.
Another anonymous employee from Ascendant Studios acknowledged the potential in Immortals’ old-school approach but conceded that it failed to resonate with audiences.
Despite receiving decent reviews, with a score of 74 on OpenCritic and a “Mostly Positive” rating on Steam, the game struggled to attract buyers despite its departure from trends such as excessive playtime requirements, microtransactions, and open-world grinding.
