Kickstarter’s Top MMO Faces Management and Staff Exodus After Rocky Launch
A significant upheaval has shaken Intrepid Studios, the developer behind the highly anticipated MMO, Ashes of Creation. Recently, numerous management and development staff members have either resigned or been laid off. This mass exodus follows a rocky launch of the game during its Early Access phase.
Kickstarter Success and Early Issues
Ashes of Creation originally generated an impressive $3.2 million through Kickstarter in 2017. This record-setting amount positioned it as the eighth most successful Kickstarter campaign for a game. It lagged just behind projects like Double Fine Adventure and Mighty No. 9.
The game entered Early Access in December 2022 but received mixed reviews from users. Many players expressed frustration over persistent bugs, performance issues, and the presence of bots within the game systems. Despite these challenges, the development team had planned to update the community about timelines and improvements.
Leadership Changes and Resignations
On January 29, the developers provided reassurance about ongoing work. A Twitch stream was scheduled for further updates. However, on January 31, community lead Margaret Krohn shared through LinkedIn that she, along with the entire dev team, had been laid off.
Intrepid’s founder, Steven Sharif, who also served as the creative director, subsequently addressed the situation on Discord. He revealed that “control of the company shifted away from me.” Sharif expressed his ethical concerns about the board’s directions and decided to resign in protest. His departure triggered a series of resignations from senior leadership.
Company Layoffs and Legal Matters
Following these resignations, the board opted to issue WARN Act notices, indicating a mass layoff was on the horizon. Sharif noted that he could not provide further details due to ongoing legal and governance matters. However, he voiced deep concern for the staff impacted by the uncertainty surrounding their roles.
Current Status of Ashes of Creation
Before this turmoil, Ashes of Creation had a development team of approximately 240 members. Just two weeks prior, nine staff members were laid off, which Sharif described as a small, non-threatening adjustment to the team’s structure.
Since the Early Access launch, Ashes of Creation has witnessed a decline in its player base. According to SteamDB, the game peaked at just 6,599 players in a 24-hour span. GameDiscoverCo estimated that the total sales reached approximately 239,000 copies.
Intrepid Studios’ Background
Founded in 2015, Intrepid Studios launched the first of several playable alphas for Ashes of Creation in 2019. Despite its ambitious beginnings and strong Kickstarter backing, the recent leadership crisis poses challenges to the MMO’s future.
