Ascendant Studios

Ascendant Studios is an independent video game developer founded in 2018 by Bret Robbins in San Rafael, California. Its work focused on original intellectual property, single-player storytelling and AAA first-person action. The studio developed Immortals of Aveum, a fantasy shooter that replaces conventional firearms with magic-based combat and combines cinematic worldbuilding with a narrative-led campaign.

Released on August 22, 2023, the game launched for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. Electronic Arts published it through the EA Originals label, handling global marketing and physical and digital distribution. Ascendant retained ownership and creative control of the intellectual property, maintaining its independence within the publishing partnership.

The studio brought together creative direction, narrative design, gameplay engineering, 3D art, animation, audio and quality assurance. Its production capabilities included real-time visual effects and performance capture, supported by an Unreal Engine 5 pipeline. These disciplines served the development of a visually ambitious, story-driven game built around a distinctive magic-shooter setting.

Following release, Ascendant continued supporting Immortals of Aveum with patches and additions including New Game+ and the Echollector content. However, weak commercial sales led to substantial layoffs in September 2023, followed by furloughs affecting most remaining staff in April 2024.

In September 2024, Robbins and a core group of developers moved to the newly established Absurd Marin under Absurd Ventures. This personnel transition did not constitute an acquisition or rename of Ascendant Studios. As of October 2026, Ascendant remains a dormant corporate entity following the cessation of its development operations.