Looking back on Immortals of Aveum, director and Ascendant Studios founder Bret Robbins opened up on the game’s weak launch.
In a recent interview with Remap Radio, Robbins believes the game should’ve launched at a lower price. It came out at $70, a price point which not everyone can immediately sign on for.
But price cuts helped Aveum get more attention since its August 2023 launch. There’s been a “huge uptick in sales,” with Robbins claiming numbers have grown to five times the initial launch amount.
Likewise, he attributed a free three-hour trial as a big assist that got more eyes on the game. “Once people actually get their hands on it, they go, ‘This game’s kind of awesome. How did I miss this one?'”
Of the rising sales, he was frank in saying he “hoped it continues for a long time.”
Not long after Immortals of Aveum’s launch, Ascendant laid off half its staff due to the shooter’s low sales. Robbins acknowledged the game could’ve benefitted from coming out in a less crowded field.
Immortals of Aveum’s magical tide is turning
2023 was busy overall, but August was dominated by Baldur’s Gate 3 and Armored Core 6. It was such a busy time that he admitted that even pushing into January 2024 would’ve been a better alternative.
But that long of a delay, he said, might’ve been a blow to the studio’s survival until funds from sales came in.
“There’s so many things competing for attention,” said Robbins. Ascendant spent “good money” on marketing, but he admitted it was hurt by the two aforementioned games, plus being a studio debut.
Immortals had a brief delay from July to August, which was chosen by Ascendant and EA. But beyond that push, Robbins argued it was better to launch a high-quality game in a crowded window versus a more buggier game during a more open time.
Despite a weak launch, he mentioned “a lot of publishers and industry partners” are open to working with Ascendant. Showing the studio’s potential was “super important,” which it appears to have done.
Robbins noted that Ascendant owns the larger Immortals property. As such, that puts its potential future in a less conclusive state than other new properties that fizzled, helped by its growing audience.