The Future Of Ashes Of Creation Is Uncertain After Director And Senior Staff Resign

The development of Ashes of Creation faces an uncertain future after its director and a significant portion of its senior leadership resigned, prompting what has been described as a "mass layoff" at developer Intrepid Studios. The situation unfolded rapidly at the end of January, leaving players and the remaining staff in a state of distress.

Steven Sharif, the creator and director of the crowdfunded MMORPG, announced his departure, citing fundamental disagreements with the company's board of directors. He stated that he could not ethically support the decisions being made. Following his resignation, a large part of the senior leadership at Intrepid Studios also chose to leave. In response, the board initiated WARN Act notices, signaling a mass layoff of employees.

Sharif addressed the situation in a limited statement made in his personal capacity, not as a representative of the company.

"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. Following my resignation, much of the senior leadership resigned. Following those departures, the Board made the decision to issue WARN Act notices and proceed with a mass layoff. I cannot responsibly speak to further details at this time due to ongoing legal and governance matters. What I can say is that the developers and staff acted in good faith and deserved better than the uncertainty that they are now facing. I am incredibly dismayed at the situation."

— Steven Sharif

Prior to these events, on January 27th, a notice was posted on the game's official website. The message, signed by "The Ashes of Creation team," acknowledged player frustrations concerning issues like RMT, bots, cheating, PvP systems, and performance problems. The post promised to address these concerns and announced that a scheduled Development Update would be moved to February 13th. The statement aimed to reassure the community that the team was actively working on these problems, describing game development as a non-linear process that sometimes requires foundational changes. It asked for patience from the players, emphasizing their role in the game's open development. The letter did not, however, allude to the internal turmoil that would soon become public.

The community's response has been one of concern and confusion, with many players who had recently purchased the early access version of the game worried about its future. The game’s Steam page has been flooded with negative reviews and questions about the project's viability.

The sense of an ending was reinforced when Margaret Krohn, the director of communications, announced her departure from Intrepid Studios on LinkedIn. In her post, she expressed her gratitude to the community and her team, and her disappointment at the turn of events.

"As for how this all ended… I don't really have the words. It wasn't what I expected. But I'm holding onto the good because there was so much of it," she wrote.

When asked directly if Ashes of Creation was canceled, Krohn stated she could not answer as she no longer worked there. She did, however, express personal doubts about the project's ability to continue after the departure of the development team, which she described as the "heart and soul of the product." The series of resignations and layoffs has cast a long shadow over the ambitious MMORPG, which raised over $3.2 million from nearly 20,000 backers in 2017. The future of Verra, the world of Ashes of Creation, now hangs in the balance.