adminThe Intrepid Studios closure marks a major change for Ashes of Creation, the MMO that set a Kickstarter fundraising record for the genre. The studio said it was shutting down and that 210 employees would lose their jobs in February 2026. The announcement followed resignations among senior leaders and came shortly after the game entered Early Access.
Image credit: Intrepid Studios
Intrepid Studios closure and employee layoffs
Intrepid Studios reported the planned shutdown to California authorities under the state’s WARN Act. The company’s notice said the 210 layoffs would take effect on February 2, 2026. On February 11, a U.S. law firm had begun investigating whether employees received sufficient notice before the closure. The investigation is a challenge to the timing of the layoffs, not a finding that the company broke the law.
The closure followed a series of departures. On January 31, community lead Margaret Krohn said on LinkedIn that she and the development team had been laid off. Studio founder and creative director Steven Sharif had also resigned. In a statement shared on the game’s Discord, Sharif said control of the company had shifted away from him and that he could not support decisions being made by the board. He added that many members of senior leadership resigned after his departure.
Sharif said he could not discuss further details because of ongoing legal and governance matters. He also expressed concern for staff facing uncertainty. These statements describe his perspective; the company’s internal disagreements have not been fully detailed publicly.
What happened to Ashes of Creation?
Ashes of Creation raised $3.2 million on Kickstarter in 2017, making it the platform’s most-funded MMO at the time and its eighth most successful game campaign. Intrepid Studios, founded in 2015, began releasing playable alpha versions in 2019. The game entered Early Access in December and received mixed user feedback, including complaints about bugs, performance, bots and game systems.
Before the shutdown announcement, the studio had said work was continuing and scheduled a livestream to discuss the development timeline. The layoffs followed an earlier reduction of nine employees. At that point, Sharif described the smaller round as limited and said it did not indicate a broader problem with the game’s future.
Player activity and sales estimates
Reported figures also pointed to challenges after Early Access began. SteamDB showed a 24-hour peak of 6,599 players at the time of the report, while GameDiscoverCo estimated sales at 239,000. These figures are snapshots and estimates, rather than a complete account of the game’s long-term audience or financial performance.
What the closure means for players and staff
The studio shutdown leaves the future of Ashes of Creation uncertain, while the employee-notice question remains under investigation. Players should treat earlier development plans as unconfirmed unless an official update provides new details. For affected workers, the key practical issue is the timing and terms of their layoff notices; the legal review may clarify whether those requirements were met.
Overall, the Intrepid Studios closure brings an abrupt halt to the team behind a highly funded MMO project. Its next steps, if any, will depend on developments involving the company, the game and the ongoing legal matters.
