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Ashes of Creation May Be Buried — Steven Sharif Resigns Due to Disagreements with the Board of Directors
The future of Ashes of Creation appears to be in limbo following today's news that the studio's Creative Director and co-founder, Steven Sharif, has resigned in protest against decisions made by the Board of Directors. As a result, the future of both the studio and the MMO as a whole is in question.
The news came from the official Ashes of Creation Discord server, where Sharif announced his resignation "in protest," stating that the Board of Directors had taken actions with which he could not "ethically" agree. He said this occurred after "control of the company shifted" away from him.
I can make a limited statement on my own behalf, not on behalf of the company, regarding the current situation. Control of the company shifted away from me, and the Board of Directors began making decisions that I could not agree with or could not carry out from an ethical standpoint. As a result, I decided to resign in protest rather than use my name or authority to endorse decisions I could not ethically support. Following my resignation, a significant portion of the senior leadership also resigned. After these departures, the Board of Directors decided to issue WARN Act notices and conduct a mass layoff. At this time, I cannot responsibly speak to further details due to ongoing legal and managerial issues. I can only say that the developers and staff acted in good faith and deserved better than the uncertainty they now face. I am incredibly saddened by the situation.
Sharif also states that "a significant portion of the senior leadership" resigned along with him. Communications Director Margaret Krohn also confirmed this in a LinkedIn post, and Reddit users are reporting numerous instances where Intrepid Studios employees are now open to work on LinkedIn.
All of this follows layoffs earlier this month, where Sharif confirmed only nine employees were affected. Now, the cuts appear to be much more extensive.
According to Ashes of Creation content creator Theory Forge, employees are being sent a WARN Act (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act) letter via certified mail. It seems someone sent Theory Forge a copy of the notice, as he read it on a livestream, stating that the WARN Act notice will take effect on February 2, 2026. The letter reportedly claims that Intrepid Studios is unable to meet its payroll obligations for the last pay period.