Ashes of Creation is facing a potential shutdown

One of the newest fantasy MMORPGs on Steam, Ashes of creationcould be headed for an early shutdown based on recent reports. At the end of January, Ashes of creation Developer Intrepid Studios has announced that it is gearing up for mass layoffs just over a month after the game launched on Steam Early Access, and some key characters have announced their departure from the studio.

It has been in development since 2017 as a Kickstarter funded project, Ashes of creation is an open-world sandbox MMORPG set in the scarred world of Verra. During the game's development, Intrepid Studios stated that in 2021 Ashes of creation would switch to Unreal Engine 5 as the main game engine. After rounds of alpha testing over the following years, Ashes of creation launched on Steam as an Early Access title in December 2025. However, due to server login issues and some missing rewards, players Ashes of creation she was lukewarm at best. The game currently has a 47% mixed rating on Steam as of this writing with over 6,000 player reviews.

The new game on Steam is basically DOOM and Tetris rolled into one

As unlikely as it may seem, a new game on Steam combines the core mechanics of Tetris and DOOM, resulting in a unique hybrid experience.

Ashes of Creation developer loses key staff

Despite Ashes of creationThe Early Access launch attracted thousands of players on Steam, so the game may not have much life left. On January 31, former creative director and co-founder of Intrepid Studios Steven Sharif announced his resignation to Ashes of creation Discord server. Sharif said he was resigning “in protest” when he said the Intrepid Studios board was taking some actions he couldn't agree with and claimed control of the fledgling studio was shifting away from him. Sharif said the board will 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.

ashes-creature-former-intrepid-ceo-steven-sharif-resignation-post

The WARN Act, short for the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988, 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' notice before mass layoffs, with some exceptions. State and local WARN variations may also be implemented. Since Intrepid Studios is based in California, the company could also be subject to the state's WARN Act.

Other members of Intrepid's senior management team, including chief communications officer Margaret Krohn, announced their departure on social media. Krohn asked on Twitter Ashes of creation players to be kind to all the developers involved, and said she would “hold on to the good” that happened during her time at Intrepid Studios. Despite potential studio layoffs, a huge open world Ashes of creation remains playable at the time of writing.

Ashes of Creation could go the way of other MMORPGs

Banner Ashes of Creation Image_upscayl_2x_ultramix_balanced

If the potential layoffs at Intrepid Studios go through, the California-based game developer could join a growing list of companies that have taken similar actions. In October 2025, Amazon made company-wide layoffs across multiple industries, with Amazon Games bearing the brunt of the company's mass cuts. Due to layoffs and reduced staff, Amazon Games stated in January 2026 that its MMORPG project, New World: Aeternumwill be discontinued on January 31, 2027. The game has since been removed from all storefronts, although users who purchased New World: Aeternum you can still play it beforehand until the servers are shut down forever.

Although the MMORPG genre is still anchored among fans with popular titles such as World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14fate Ashes of creation is uncertain at best. Whether Ashes of creation whether it survives the potential layoffs or joins other MMORPGs that were discontinued early in their lifespan remains to be seen.