Bret Robbins has been in the video game industry for some time. As the founder of EA’s new Ascendant Studios — and the boss who oversaw the experimental magic-driven first-person shooter Immortals of Aveum — he brings a lot of experience. He completed work on Call of Duty at Sledgehammer Studios and was creative director on Dead Space. He knows how to make a big, bombastic AAA game that’s compelling. And now, he’s starting all over again.
“I feel like because I have the opportunity to start from a blank slate and do whatever I want, I want to do anything,” he said with a laugh. “So for the gods at Aveum, it was kind of just taking a lot of different effects and putting them in a blender and seeing what comes out.” Robbins spent “about four months” to shape the story, the world, the feel of the combat, and the core shape of the game, and during that formative period, the immortals of the core Aveum began to take shape.
At this early stage, Robbins referenced many of the science fiction and fantasy novels that inspired him throughout his life and career, and drew on some of the projects he worked on. “I’ve been a fan of fantasy and science fiction all my life, and I’ve been playing games for a long time now, too!” he noted. The pillars of the world, how magic works, the main abilities of the player, and the option of being able to use magic to tie them together–all of which surfaced in the first few months, according to Robbins.
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But the key feel of Aveum — the magic, and how it feels in your hands as you blast enemies to pieces in a dense, highly fantasy world — didn’t emerge until later on when the development team started making it playable. The game version is ready.
“I didn’t realize we were going to be like an arena shooter until we actually started getting the mechanics to work, just, you know, playing around with it,” he reflects. “I knew I didn’t want to do a real cover shooter – because that’s what Call of Duty is – and that’s what I wanted to do – be a little bit different. Instead, I thought there would definitely be a bit of Doom or BioShock “a feeling of.”
Doom, BioShock, Call of Duty — all of these references make sense when you look at the trailer embedded above. They are, after all, steady companions of the genre. But Immortals of Aveum isn’t just a shooter; there are RPG elements in the game, too. In the way you shape your character, develop your arcane powers, and flesh out your place in the world. It could end up being the game’s key hook – a budget-friendly and visually spectacular RPG shooter… sounds like something any publisher would want front and center of their current IP catalog, right?
To that end, it’s perhaps not surprising that Robbins mentions another reference that really stands out: God of War. “I don’t have a problem with a game where you crank it up to 11 and have a really fast-paced action sequence or really intense combat and then, you know, slow it down and let you explore and let you solve mysteries puzzle,” says Robbins (you can read more about Immortals of Aveum’s puzzle design approach at the link).
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“It lets you find gear or buy talents and create buildings you like, all of that stuff. I’ve seen some games do that really well; Think that’s an analogy for us, actually, even though we’re not third-person brawlers or shooters: that feeling you can get into really intense epic battles and then you can slow down and think, explore, and Enjoy the world…”
And it all comes back to a little bit about Robbins wanting to do anything. He noted that, being a big fan of RPGs, he wanted to make sure the game included a “big dialogue system” where you could walk up and talk to certain characters and learn a lot of backstory through NPC interactions. He wanted to make sure there were meaningful differences in character builds, talents, and gear. And he wanted to make sure each piece of gear was unique, rather than relying on a randomly generated loot system.
result? Robbins wanted this to be a game with the heart of a serious role-playing game, with the bombastic and cinematic feel of a big AAA action game like God of War. It’s an interesting proposition – especially when you consider all of Doom, BioShock and Call of Duty floating around in its DNA at the same time – but from what we’ve seen so far Look, Ascendant Studio sure has the passion and vision to make it happen.
Let’s see if it sticks around when Aveum of the Immortals launches on July 20, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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