Indie MMO Ashes of Creation launched on Steam Early Access this past December, and I'm not sure that it's gone over especially well overall. The game has a "Mixed" reception among English-language players, and recent reviews are "Mostly Negative."
That's never fun, but it's less of an issue than losing most of its dev team in a hostile bid to make something which sounds comparatively soulless. In fact, there's really nothing more serious in this industry—in most industries—than job losses. Thus, it gives me no pleasure to report that key individuals have departed Intrepid Studios. And, yep, layoffs are happening. Because of course.
Let's get straight into Steven Sharif's message. It was posted in Ashes of Creation's official Discord server, and it's been independently verified through several sources, including WCCFTech. It's a hell of a sobering read:
"I can make a limited statement in my personal capacity and not on behalf of the company, regarding the situation. Control of the company shifted away from me, and the Board began directing actions that I could not ethically agree with or carry out. As a result, I chose to resign in protest rather than lend my name or authority to decisions...
