Steam has quietly withdrawn under fire MMO Ashes of Creation from sale after its director and leadership team quit just weeks after launch.
Ashes of Creation was funded by a hugely successful $3.2 million Kickstarter campaign back in 2017. It finally released in December as a $50 Early Access game on Steam, but by the end of January, the game's director, Steven Sharif, and "much of" the senior dev team quit "in protest," claiming that its management board had asked him to do things he "could not ethically support." According to Sharif, the Board then issued WARN Act notices — layoff warnings, in other words — to the remaining staff. It's unclear how many employees remain employed or who sits on this mysterious board.
Although Sharif posted a brief statement explaining why he quit in the game's Discord community, he has not posted anything since. Given the comments, memes, and inappropriate comments flooding every channel, the Discord itself seems wholly unmoderated now.
Head over to the Ashes of Creation page on Steam now, however, and you'll see that the button to buy has been quietly removed. Conversely, the game's website is still live and accepting payment for cosmetics, but a notice at the top reads: "delivery of cosmetic purchases may be delayed on certain realms. Items will appear in your in-game mail once processing completes." While the site is typically updated several times a month, only one update was posted in the whole of January, and that was alluding to a developer diary livestream coming up on February 13, although it's unclear who will host that, given most of the familiar faces fans have seen in prior streams seem to have left.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Reddit and Discord communities are full of people asking if anyone's successfully convinced Steam to give them a refund. While anyone with less than two hours on the clock should get one automatically, those with more time are having mixed results, with some reporting success, others being denied, and the rest asked to wait while Steam "investigates" the issue.
The most successful requests seem to be via human checks, so players are suggesting that those looking for a refund should not check the box to "request a refund," but instead contact Steam via the "I have a question about this product" option. That way, your request will be routed to a member of customer support, and not an automated service.
It's unlikely Kickstarter donors will secure any refunds, given the nature of crowdfunded programs.
Interestingly, without any context or introduction, a standard member, Karen L. Boreyko, addressed the community earlier today (February 3) across several Discord channels, writing: "Hello everyone — my name is Karen L. Boreyko, and I want to take a moment to speak directly to this community as we begin a new chapter for Ashes of Creation.
"Intrepid Studios is moving forward with a renewed long-term vision for the game, including continued development in China and a transition to a subscription-based model supported by optional daily battle passes, a new in-game gold shop, and expanded skill point progression systems. Our goal is to ensure the project’s sustainability while accelerating development and delivering a live service experience that can grow for years to come. We know change brings questions, and we’re committed to open communication as we move ahead together."
At this time, because her account isn't tagged as an official team member, it's impossible to determine who Boreyko is or how she is involved in the game's development, if at all. A Leanne Boreyko is attached to a multi-level marketing wellness company called Vemma, and, coincidentially enough, a different wellness company called 310 Nutrition and run by a man called Tim Sharif who has just dropped a load of Ashes of Creation merch onto Amazon.com. Make of that what you will.
I've a feeling February 13's livestream is going to be very well attended indeed.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
