Ashes of Creation Might Not Survive 2026

0x41^4 · 02/01/2026, 06:41

I don’t write news articles, but I wanted to write this one because the entire Ashes of Creation project to me was extremely scammy and quite obvious a money grab as Steven was always begging for more money and consistently moving the goal post.

Steven Sharif bailed late on January 31, 2026. He resigned “in protest” from his roles as founder, CEO, and creative director of Intrepid Studios. He posted in the official Discord that control of the company had shifted to the board of directors, who began making decisions he could not ethically support. After he left, much of the senior leadership team resigned too, including the communications director.

The board then issued WARN Act notices to the entire staff of around 250 people, signaling a full and permanent studio closure.

That “in protest” line sounds pretty convenient, and I doubt it’s the full story. It seems way more likely he exit scammed to recoup his own investments after severe lack of player interest tanked the project’s viability.

Steven has no developing experience whatsoever, and everything he’s ever been tied to was a pyramid scheme or MLM-style setup (like his early involvement with XanGo, which had extremely shady pyramid vibes, before he pivoted to real estate and investments).

Servers are still running with no major outages reported, but with no developers left, patches, fixes, or continued support look impossible. The game entered Steam Early Access on December 11, 2025 after years of development, but it launched with heavy issues like botting, item dupes, performance problems, and low player retention.

On Steam right now, reviews are Mixed overall, with 54% positive out of about 5,663 English reviews, and recent reviews (last 30 days) also Mixed at 55% positive from 1,697 reviews. Most of the negativity points to the unfinished state, bugs, exploits, and the sense that it was not ready despite the long wait.

The whole thing has felt like a money grab from the start, with over a decade of crowdfunding hype, repeated delays, and promises that never fully delivered, especially once Early Access hit and the cracks showed. Steven was always begging for more money through packs, cosmetics, and referrals, consistently moving the goalposts on timelines and features.

If servers stay up a bit longer, it will probably be short-lived without funding or staff.

Draacox · 02/01/2026, 15:21

Yea, I had my doubts about this, I was watching it from day one, and it was more money after more money forever, finally hits steam and bombs. I was excited for it to, I had it on my wish list but never bothered as I waited for reviews. After reading this and some other news on it its probably going to tank.

This is an ongoing issues with games now a days. Shame. It looked promising.

0x41^4 · 02/01/2026, 16:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draacox

Yea, I had my doubts about this, I was watching it from day one, and it was more money after more money forever, finally hits steam and bombs. I was excited for it to, I had it on my wish list but never bothered as I waited for reviews. After reading this and some other news on it its probably going to tank.

This is an ongoing issues with games now a days. Shame. It looked promising.

It’s actually gotten a lot worse since I first wrote this.

Documents earlier in the night revealed that the “board” Steven claimed had taken control of the company is literally just two people, him and his husband, John Moore.

So no board stepped in. He and his husband are the board.

On top of that, the listed headquarters for Intrepid Studios is just their home address.

And then, in November, ownership of that house was transferred to a random LLC that’s tied to a shell corporation.

At this point, it’s pretty obvious this was just another one of his setups. Once the constant delays and all the other issues surrounding Ashes wrecked the game’s reputation and interest dried up, it looks like he simply took what money was left and ran.

Draacox · 02/01/2026, 17:12

Wow.. That figures. And the worst part is they will probably do it again, hopefully not. Yet its still on sale on steam, has anyone reported this to them?

0x41^4 · 02/02/2026, 01:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draacox

Wow.. That figures. And the worst part is they will probably do it again, hopefully not. Yet its still on sale on steam, has anyone reported this to them?

People who run scams at that scale rarely stop on their own. Once someone gets used to that kind of money, they tend to repeat the behavior.

The complicating factor here is that all of this occurred in California. From a legal standpoint, California is actually one of the most aggressive states in the country when it comes to consumer protection and civil remedies. The statutes are strong, and plaintiffs attorneys are very willing to pursue cases like this, so the risk of lawsuits and financial liability is real.

That said, there’s also the practical reality that wealthy defendants with experienced counsel often fare better than they should. So it cuts both ways. He could end up facing substantial legal consequences, or, with enough resources, minimize the damage significantly.

mikmilly · 02/02/2026, 09:06

He is just bla bla bla and no show.
10 years farming peoples money, and the game is still in an unplayable state.

0x41^4 · 02/04/2026, 03:05

As of today, Steam has pulled Ashes of Creation from the store and is processing refunds. If you purchased it, you should strongly consider requesting your money back.

Apdo God · 02/04/2026, 12:00

Yup, I agree. If the funds aren't going towards the game development anymore, everyone should refund and get their money back ASAP. Do it while you can.

Draacox · 02/07/2026, 02:30

Thats good news in the sense of this scam. Glad steam did something.

wc-cleaner · 02/09/2026, 20:11

what a farce

Apdo God · 02/09/2026, 22:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draacox

Thats good news in the sense of this scam. Glad steam did something.

Do you think they did this on purpose?

Draacox · 02/11/2026, 23:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apdo ***

Do you think they did this on purpose?

Forgot to respond to this, Was what done on-purpose? The scam? Most likely yes, im just glad steam stopped it.

Apdo God · 02/11/2026, 23:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draacox

Forgot to respond to this, Was what done on-purpose? The scam? Most likely yes, im just glad steam stopped it.

That's just a crappy move period. Do you know whether the game was anywhere near its release btw?

I'm getting 'Web server is returning an unknown error' errors all the time, it's my 3rd time trying to send this reply....

Draacox · 02/11/2026, 23:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apdo ***

That's just a crappy move period. Do you know whether the game was anywhere near its release btw?

I'm getting 'Web server is returning an unknown error' errors all the time, it's my 3rd time trying to send this reply....

I cant remember it was in development for ******* years, then hit early access with tons of issues then this happened.