Ashes of Creation is an ambitious MMORPG that was released in early access in December 2025. The launch came after almost a decade of playtests, production, and evolution, but it has met a vicious end as the entire studio behind the game has crumbled. In this guide, we’re answering a clear question: ‘Is Ashes of Creation shutting down?’
It seems like the writing is firmly on the wall with Ashes of Creation, which was released just weeks ago by Intrepid Studios onto the Steam platform, but what’s the truth of it?
What Happened to Ashes of Creation?
Ashes of Creation imploded around February 1st, 2026. On social media, reports surfaced of Intrepid Studios, the game’s developer, facing complete and indiscriminate layoffs after the studio’s leadership team collectively resigned.
Ashes of Creation’s Steven Sharif, Intrepid’s founder and the game’s creative director, explained in a statement that ‘the Board’ wrestled control of the company away from him, prompting his resignation. However, a subsequent investigation determined that Sharif might have been the sole member of the Board.
Ashes of Creation’s team has been completely laid off, and what’s worse, the company’s financial position meant that final paychecks couldn’t be processed. This is despite the game selling approximately 250,000 – 300,000 copies on Steam, under a $49.99 price tag.
A global shutdown of Ashes of Creation is almost guaranteed, but at the time of writing, the game remained live on Steam. Intrepid Studios, however, has collapsed, and as of this point, has no staff to work on the game.
How to Get Ashes of Creation Refund
If you’ve played Ashes of Creation for less than two hours on Steam, you can collect a refund via Valve’s internal support channels, but if you’ve played for more than two hours, you’re not entitled to an instant refund.
However, you can still try to go through the customer support channels, as this is an extraordinary circumstance.
Many have predicted that class action lawsuits will surface, especially given the suspicious timing of the Ashes of Creation shutdown. The game’s Kickstarter always stated that if the game didn’t launch on Steam, full refunds to all backers would be issued. Even though it was only live on Steam for mere weeks, that clause was effectively fulfilled.
Let us know on the Insider Gaming Discord server if you’ve been impacted by Ashes of Creation shutting down.
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Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Alpha should definitely not count as a launch on steam. Alpha is not a game launch. This whole thing was sketchy from the start and these recent release on Steam was an absolute joke, the game looked like they did it overnight, not something that’s been in development for 9 years at all!
Ashes of Cremation