Immortals of Aveum studio has reportedly furloughed the majority of its staff

Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios has reportedly furloughed the majority of its staff.

That’s according to a LinkedIn post by former employee Kris Morness, which has been corroborated by Polygon reporter Nicole Carpenter.

“Ascendant Studios has furloughed the majority of their staff,” said Morness, who left the studio last summer to join Phoenix Labs. “I can’t imagine what that would be like as that is worse than getting laid off.”

Furlough is an imposed leave of absence from work which is typically unpaid. While employees technically keep their jobs and are expected to return to work at some point, it means they don’t qualify for things like severance pay.

Carpenter said “this lines up with what I’ve heard at Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios — that a large portion of the staff was recently furloughed.

“Haven’t been able to confirm numbers, and Ascendant hasn’t responded to multiple requests for comment,” she added.

The studio’s debut game, the EA-published Immortals of Aveum, was released for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC last August.

The following month, Ascendant laid off nearly half its staff, with its CEO Bret Robbins later saying the move was down to poor sales during a crowded release window.