Ashes of creation facing possible closure

One of the newest fantasy MMORPGs on Steam, The ashes of creationBased on recent reports may move towards early closure. Towards the end of January, The ashes of creation Developer Intrepid Studios announced that it was preparing for a round of mass layoffs a month after the game's Early Access launch on Steam, and some key people announced their departures from the studio.

In development since 2017 as a Kickstarter-funded project, The ashes of creation is an open-world sandbox MMORPG set in the scarred world of Vera. During the game's development, Intrepid Studios said in 2021 The ashes of creation The game will switch to Unreal Engine 5 as its main engine. After a round of alpha testing over the coming years, The ashes of creation Launched on Steam in December 2025 as an Early-Access title. However, due to server login issues and some missing rewards, players are welcome The ashes of creation It's best to be warm. The game currently holds a 47% mixed rating on Steam as of this writing, with over 6,000 player reviews.

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Ashes of Creation developer loses key staff

Despite The ashes of creationWith the Early Access launch drawing on thousands of Steam players, the game may not have much life left. On January 31, former Intrepid Studios creative director and co-founder Steven Sharif announced his resignation. The ashes of creation Dispute server. Sharif said he resigned “in protest” because he said Intrepid Studios' board of directors had taken some actions he could not agree with, and claimed that control of the new studio was shifting away from him. Sharif said the board will issue warning act notices and carry out mass retrenchment. Due to the legal nature of Intrepid Studios' situation, Sharif said he could not comment further on the matter.

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Short for the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988, the WARN Act is a US federal labor law that requires most employers with 100 or more employees to notify them of closings and layoffs. The WARN Act also states that companies must give at least 60 business days advance notice before mass layoffs, with some exceptions. State and local versions of the Warning Act can also be done. Given that Intrepid Studios is based in California, the company may also be subject to the state's Warning Act.

Other members of Intrepid's senior leadership team, including communications director Margaret Crone, announced their departures on social media. on Twitter, Crone asked The ashes of creation The players are kind to all affected developers, and she said she will “hold on to the good things” that happened during her time with Intrepid Studios. Despite potential studio layoffs, the massive open world of The ashes of creation remains playable at the time of this writing.

Ashes of Creation may go the way of other MMORPGs

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If the potential layoffs at Intrepid Studios go through, the California-based game developer could join a growing list of companies implementing similar measures. In October 2025, Amazon conducted company-wide layoffs in various areas, with Amazon Games bearing the brunt of the company's largest cutbacks. Due to layoffs and staff reductions, Amazon Games said in January 2026 that its MMORPG project, New World: EternumWill close on January 31, 2027. The game has since been delisted from all storefronts, though users who purchased it New World: Eternum Can already play it until the servers are shut down forever.

However the MMORPG genre is still anchored by fan-favorite titles World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14the fate of The ashes of creation The best is uncertain. whether The ashes of creation Whether it avoids potential layoffs or joins other MMORPGs that were discontinued early in their lifetime remains to be seen.