Just a few weeks after its launch into Early Access on Steam, Kickstarter-funded MMO Ashes of Creation has shuttered, with developer Intrepid Studios shut down, and the future of the project seemingly looking dim.
Now, Kickstarter backers, players, and fans are left looking for answers amid the game director’s resignation, a cryptic developer letter, and the game’s removal from Steam.
After a tumultuous launch that saw large amounts of criticism leveled at the product, MMO Ashes of Creation has shuttered. Signs things were not alright started late last month, when a “Director’s Letter to the Citizens of Verra” was published on the official Ashes of Creation website.
In it, the post thanked testers and early access players but admitted the project had fallen short, highlighting the issues of real money transactions (RMT), bots, cheating, pvp, corruption, and almost every other in-game system.
Ashes of Creation. Image Credit: Intrepid Studios.
The team also announced an upcoming live development Q&A:
“To ensure we can speak clearly and thoroughly about what’s next, we’ve moved our upcoming Development Update on Twitch to February 13, 2026 at 11:00 AM Pacific. In that update, we will walk through our Q1 plans and outline the next steps for Ashes of Creation – what we’re prioritizing, why those choices matter, and how they connect to the issues you’re experiencing today.”
Fans were quick to notice that this post was signed off by “The Ashes of Creation Team,” rather than the game’s director, Steven Sharif, as would be expected in a “Director’s Letter.”
The reasoning behind this became apparent a few days later, when it was revealed on the Ashes of Creation’s discord that Sharif had resigned from Intrepid Studios. Explaining his resignation, Sharif stated that:
“Control of the company shifted away from me, and the Board began directing actions that I could not ethically agree with or carry out. As a result, I chose to resign in protest rather than lend my name or authority to decisions I could not ethically support.”
Since then, the games developers have seemingly entered the job market with numerous former employees posting ‘looking for work’ posts on LinkedIn. Several outlets have reported this stems from the leadership team of the company quitting in protest.
As of Feb. 3, Steam had also removed the MMO from sale, leaving almost nothing remaining of the Kickstarted project.
First announced in 2016, and raising $3 million dollars, Ashes of Creation was seen as a “WoW-Killer” and a new advancement in MMOs. Pitched as a sandbox take on classic MMO mechanics, the game attracted a lot of attention. But after a decade of waiting, many players are now disappointed and game-less.
Ashes of Creation. Image Credit: Intrepid Studios.
The game had seen several low-level controversies during its development, including a criticized free battle royale game mode released in 2018, a $500 price point to enter the first closed Alpha Playtest in 2021, and a change from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5 later that year.
Most controversially, perhaps, was a built-in refund promise in the Kickstarter to fully reimburse backers if the game was never released. With its release in an arguably incomplete state on Dec. 11, 2025, the game fulfilled its promise, voiding this clause.
Now backers are left with little to show for a decade of support. And MMO fans are left adding another WoW-killer to the list that came before and failed.
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Featured Image Credit: Intrepid Studios.
This is so much sad news for MMORPG lovers. We had been waiting for this. And so high expectations.. I still hope they’ll pursue somehow. An ever changing world..
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