The future of Ashes of Creation has been thrown into uncertainty after founder and CEO Steven Sharif resigned in protest, followed by WARN Act notices and what appears to be a studio wide mass layoff at Intrepid Studios.
Sharif confirmed his resignation in a message posted to the game’s official Discord, stating that control of the company had shifted away from him and that the board of directors began directing actions he could not ethically support.
Steven Sharif Resigns Over Board Decisions
In his Discord message, Sharif said he chose to step down rather than lend his name or authority to decisions he fundamentally disagreed with.
Image via Ashes of Creation Discord Server
He explained that after his resignation, much of the senior leadership team also departed. According to Sharif, those exits were followed by the board’s decision to issue WARN Act notices and proceed with a mass layoff.
Sharif added that he could not responsibly share further details due to ongoing legal and governance matters, but stressed that developers and staff acted in good faith and deserved better than the uncertainty they are now facing.
WARN Act Notices Signal Major Layoffs
Reports indicate that Intrepid Studios has issued WARN Act notices, which in the United States require employers to give at least 60 days’ notice ahead of large scale layoffs.
According to Ashes of Creation content creator Theory Forge, a WARN Act letter is currently being sent to staff via First Class mail. Theory Forge stated on stream that he had been sent a copy of the notice by an alleged employee, and read portions of it publicly.
Based on the letter as described, the WARN Act notice is said to take effect on February 2, 2026, and reportedly claims that Intrepid Studios is unable to meet its most recent payroll period. If accurate, the language of the notice would suggest the studio could close as early as the end of the next business day.
At this time, Intrepid Studios has not publicly confirmed the contents of the WARN Act letter, the total number of affected employees, or whether operations will formally cease. Theory Forge himself noted that the authenticity of the document has not yet been independently verified.
Senior Leadership And Staff Departures Confirmed
Sharif’s statement that “much of the senior leadership team resigned” has been supported by external confirmations.
Intrepid Studios communications director Margaret Krohn posted on LinkedIn that her time at the studio had officially ended. In her message, she addressed the Ashes of Creation community directly, urging players to be kind to developers who had just lost their jobs after years of work on the MMO.
Krohn also confirmed she is now seeking new leadership or director level roles, reinforcing reports that the departures extend beyond rank and file staff.
Players have also noted a wave of Intrepid employees marking themselves as open to work on LinkedIn, adding further weight to claims of a studio wide shutdown.
A Sharp Turn After Earlier Layoffs
The situation marks a dramatic escalation from earlier comments made this month. Earlier, Sharif acknowledged a smaller round of layoffs affecting nine employees from a team of roughly 250, describing them at the time as targeted adjustments rather than signs of broader trouble.
Those assurances now stand in stark contrast to the current situation, where WARN Act notices and leadership resignations point to a much more severe outcome.
Ashes Of Creation’s Long And Turbulent Development
Ashes of Creation was first announced in 2016 and raised more than US$3.25 million through crowdfunding in 2017. The MMO entered closed alpha testing in 2021, later transitioned from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5, and launched a second alpha phase via Steam in 2025.
On Steam, the game currently holds mostly mixed recent reviews, despite having over 13,000 total reviews that skew largely positive overall. Community sentiment has reportedly worsened in recent weeks as uncertainty around the studio has grown.
Image via Steam
What This Means For The MMO’s Future
At this stage, the future of Ashes of Creation remains unclear. Possibilities range from the MMO’s early access build being shuttered to the project being cancelled outright.
Such an outcome would also raise serious questions about refund commitments made to Kickstarter backers should the game fail to launch.
With leadership gone, development staff laid off, and WARN notices in effect, Ashes of Creation appears to be at its most precarious point since development began. Whether the project can survive in any form now rests entirely with Intrepid’s board and any plans they have yet to disclose.