Intrepid Studios, the developer behind Kickstarter-funded MMORPG Ashes of Creation, has reportedly shut down in acrimonious circumstances
A litany of social media posts from employees indicate the California studio has closed its doors—although the reason for the purported shutdown remains unclear.
“Hi everyone, with the recent closure of Intrepid Studios, I’m now actively seeking new opportunities in game audio,” reads a post from one worker impacted by the situation.
“Unfortunately I have been affected by the studio wide shut-down at Intrepid Studios,” reads a similar post from another former employee.
A cursory search for ‘Intrepid Studios’ on LinkedIn reveals many other staffers have been impacted by the apparent closure. That includes senior figures such as the studio’s former director of communications, who said they “don’t really have the words” to describe how the situation unfolded.
Indeed, as spotted by PCGamesN, Intrepid Studios co-founder and creative director Steven Sharif has indicated the closure was somehow related to an internal feud between creative leaders and the board of directors.
In a message posted on Discord, Sharif claims he walked away from the company after the board started making decisions he could not “ethically agree with or carry out.”
“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 I could not ethically support. Following my resignation, much of the senior leadership team resigned. Following those departures, the Board made the decision to issue WARN Act notices and proceed with a mass layoff,” said Sharif.
“I cannot responsibly speak to further details at this time due to ongoing legal and governance matters. what I can say is that the developers and the staff acted in good faith and deserved better than the uncertainty they are now facing. I am incredibly dismayed by the situation.”
Ashes of Creation, which secured over $3.2 million from almost 20,000 backers on Kickstarter in 2017, remains available to purchase through Steam Early Access at the time of writing.
A recent letter from the development team—posted on January 29—said players can expect a full development update on Twitch on February 13. The team said it will share its “Q1 plans and outline the next steps for Ashes of Creation” during that broadcast.
Game Developer has reached out to Intrepid for comment.
