Immortals of Aveum developer Ascendant Studios has reportedly furloughed the majority of its staff. Word comes to us by way of a LinkedIn post from former employee Kris Morness (thanks VGC) and has since been corroborated by Polygon reporter Nicole Carpenter, with the exact number currently unclear. Ascendant has yet to make a statement or respond to requests for comment.
A company can furlough staff when facing specific economic conditions, such as a lack of work. It's a mandatory leave of absence from the workplace, typically unpaid, with the idea that staff will return to work when conditions improve. Unfortunately, as they are still technically employed, it can also mean those employees would not qualify for things like severance pay or unemployment benefits, although this varies from country to country.
Immortals of Aveum was branded a "truly awful idea" by one former employee, and significant layoffs have already taken place at the studio. Not to sound crass, but with the majority of staff seemingly held in limbo, we have to imagine the announced futuristic FSR 3 patch coming in "a few weeks" will need to be delayed, although that remains to be seen.