L'accueil
It is a dark Monday for MMORPG fans. Over the weekend, the internet was set ablaze not with a new trailer or a beta announcement, but with heartbreaking reports suggesting a total collapse at Intrepid Studios. Ashes of Creation, the game that promised to revolutionize the genre and save us from the stagnation of modern MMOs, is now sitting in a terrifying limbo, with rumors of mass layoffs and a potential studio shutdown circulating wildly.
The Kickstarter Dream Turning into a Nightmare
For years, Ashes of Creation has been the "chosen one" for MMO players. It was the Kickstarter darling, the project led by the charismatic Steven Sharif, promising a world that reacted to player choices, dynamic node systems, and a return to the glory days of social gaming. We’ve seen the monthly updates, the alpha footage, and the cosmetic shops. But now, it looks like the dream might be over.
Reports began surfacing late Friday night from sources close to the studio indicating that Intrepid Studios has ceased operations, or at the very least, laid off a massive portion of its workforce. As of this morning, there has been zero official communication from the studio's leadership or social media accounts. In the gaming industry, this kind of silence during a crisis is usually deafening. It suggests that the legal teams are involved and that the situation is as bad, if not worse, than the rumors suggest.
If this is true, it marks one of the biggest tragedies in recent crowdfunding history. Millions of dollars were poured into this project by fans desperate for something new. To see it potentially evaporate right before the finish line is devastating. It raises the uncomfortable question: was the scope just too big? Ashes of Creation promised everything to everyone, and historically, that is a recipe for development hell.
Right now, the community is in a state of shock. Forums and Discords are filled with backers asking about refunds, while others are holding onto a sliver of hope that this is just a restructuring rather than a full closure. But with the reported scale of the layoffs, it’s hard to see how a project of this magnitude continues without its core team. We are standing by for an official statement, but it looks like the ashes might be all that’s left of this creation.
Reports began surfacing late Friday night from sources close to the studio indicating that Intrepid Studios has ceased operations, or at the very least, laid off a massive portion of its workforce. As of this morning, there has been zero official communication from the studio's leadership or social media accounts. In the gaming industry, this kind of silence during a crisis is usually deafening. It suggests that the legal teams are involved and that the situation is as bad, if not worse, than the rumors suggest.
If this is true, it marks one of the biggest tragedies in recent crowdfunding history. Millions of dollars were poured into this project by fans desperate for something new. To see it potentially evaporate right before the finish line is devastating. It raises the uncomfortable question: was the scope just too big? Ashes of Creation promised everything to everyone, and historically, that is a recipe for development hell.
Right now, the community is in a state of shock. Forums and Discords are filled with backers asking about refunds, while others are holding onto a sliver of hope that this is just a restructuring rather than a full closure. But with the reported scale of the layoffs, it’s hard to see how a project of this magnitude continues without its core team. We are standing by for an official statement, but it looks like the ashes might be all that’s left of this creation.
