The tale of Immortals of Aveum, a single-player FPS by Ascendant Studios and published by EA, serves as the latest cautionary tale in the ever-evolving landscape of video games, specifically the pitfalls of chasing greatness and that next big payday.

Despite being generally considered an above average title with a relatively unique "Call of Duty with magic" premise, the game fell short of expectations, leading to significant layoffs at the studio.

Furthermore, Immortals of Aveum's lackluster commercial performance has ignited talks on the internet around the challenges of launching new intellectual properties in the crowded video game market, especially amidst high-profile releases.

Narrative-driven single-player shooters traditionally struggle to gain mass market appeal, which partly explains Immortals of Aveum's failure.

Launched in August 2023, Immortals of Aveum faced stiff competition from industry titans like Diablo 4, Starfield, Baldur's Gate 3, as well as "lesser-known" titles like Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubiconand Remnant 2. This saturated market made it difficult for a new IP to carve out a niche, regardless of its merits.

Nevertheless, what stood out the most from IGN's interview with a former employee is the game's development cost, which reached a staggering $85 million, coupled with $40 million dedicated to marketing. While the team boasted talent, the scope might have been excessive for a debut project, especially considering the inherent risks of launching a new IP.