Ashes of Creation faces potential suspension

One of the latest fantasy MMORPGs on Steam, The ashes of creationmay be headed for an early shutdown based on recent reports. At the end of January, The ashes of creation Developer Intrepid Studios announced it was preparing for a round of mass layoffs just over a month after the game's early access launch on Steam, and some key people announced they were leaving the studio.

Having been 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 Verra. During the game's development, Intrepid Studios stated in 2021 that The ashes of creation would switch to Unreal Engine 5 as the game's main engine. After rounds of alpha testing over the following years, The ashes of creation launched on Steam as an Early Access title in December 2025. However, due to server login issues and some missing rewards, player reception to The ashes of creation has been lukewarm at best. The game currently has a mixed rating of 47% on Steam at the time of writing, with over 6,000 player reviews.

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Ashes of Creation developer loses key staff

Despite The ashes of creations early access launch is drawing in thousands of Steam players, the game may not have much life left in it. On January 31, former Intrepid Studios creative director and co-founder Steven Sharif announced his departure on The ashes of creation Discord server. Sharif said he resigned “in protest” because he said the Intrepid Studios board took an action he could not agree to, claiming control of the fledgling studio was shifting away from him. Sharif stated that the board would send out WARN Act notices and implement mass layoffs. 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 layoffs and layoffs. The WARN Act also states that companies must provide at least 60 business days' notice before a mass layoff, with certain exceptions. State and local variations of the WARN Act can also be implemented. Given that Intrepid Studios is based in California, the company may also be covered by the state's WARN Act.

Other members of Intrepid's management team, including director of communications Margaret Krohn, announced their departures on social media. On Twitter, Krohn asked The ashes of creation players to be kind to any affected developers, saying she would “hold on to the good” that happened during her time with Intrepid Studios. Despite the potential studio layoffs, the vast open world of The ashes of creation remains playable as of this writing.

Ashes of Creation may go the same way as other MMORPGs

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Should the potential layoffs at Intrepid Studios go through, the California-based game developer could join a growing list of companies that have implemented similar moves. In October 2025, Amazon implemented company-wide layoffs in various sectors, with Amazon Games bearing the brunt of the company's mass layoffs. Due to the layoffs and downsizing, Amazon Games stated in January 2026 that its MMORPG project, New World: Aeternumwould close on January 31, 2027. The game has since been removed from all storefronts, although users who purchased New World: Aeternum in advance can still play it until the servers are closed forever.

Although the MMORPG genre is still anchored by fan-favorite titles such as World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14the fate of The ashes of creation is uncertain at best. If The ashes of creation whether it survives the potential layoffs or joins other MMORPGs that have been shut down early in their lifespan remains to be seen.