Ascendant Studios
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | May 1, 2018; 5 years ago |
| Founder | Bret Robbins |
| Headquarters | San Rafael, California |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Bret Robbins (CEO) |
| Products | Immortals of Aveum |
Number of employees | 100+ (July 2023) [1] |
| Website | ascendantstudios |
Ascendant Studios is an American video game developer based in San Rafael, California. It was founded by Bret Robbins and former Electronic Arts industry veterans in 2018.[2]
History[edit]
Former Electronic Arts and Sledgehammer Games creative director Bret Robbins founded Ascendant Studios in 2018 in partnership with businessman Brian Sheth, co-founder and Former president of private equity software investor Vista Equity Partners.[3]
After Telltale Games went bankrupt in 2018, most of the developers working at the studio moved to Ascendant Studios, including Ascendant Studios' art directors Dave Bogan and Julia Lichtblau, and lead writer Michael Kirkbride. The studio grew from fifty developers to over one hundred developers in less than a year.[4]
The studio announced its first game, Immortals of Aveum, at The Game Awards 2022, that will be published under Electronic Arts' EA Originals program.[5] In 2023 it was revealed that the game will be released on July 20, 2023.[6] The game was later delayed to August 22, 2023.[7]
On September 14, 2023, it was reported that the studio laid off about 40 developers, roughly half of its staff at the time, due to Immortals of Aveum's poor sales figures.[8]
On April 10, 2024 a further 30 developers were placed on furlough. Director Bret Robbins admitted a part of the poor performance was due to the $70 price. [9]
Games developed[edit]
| Year | Title | Platform(s) | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Immortals of Aveum | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Electronic Arts |
References[edit]
- ^ "How Big Dreams Became a Big Game: The Origins of Ascendant Studios and Immortals of Aveum". Ascendant Studios. April 14, 2023.
- ^ Vincent, Brittany (February 28, 2019). "Former 'Call of Duty' Creative Director Launches Ascendant Studios". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Valentine, Rebekah (February 28, 2019). "Former Sledgehammer senior creative director launches Ascendant Studios". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ How BIG DREAMS Became a BIG GAME: The Origins of Ascendant Studios and Immortals of Aveum, retrieved April 20, 2023
- ^ Blake, Vikki (April 9, 2023). "Magic FPS Immortals of Aveum's release date leaks online". gamesradar. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ "Immortals of Aveum Announced at The Game Awards 2022". dbltap.com. December 10, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ Studios, Ascendant (June 20, 2023). "A message from Bret and our team". Ascendant Studios. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
- ^ Square, Push (September 14, 2023). "Poor Immortals of Aveum Sales Leads to Significant Lay-Offs". Push Square. Retrieved September 14, 2023.
- ^ "Immortals of Aveum dev Ascendant Studios reportedly furloughs majority of its staff". www.gamedeveloper.com. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
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