Chronicle of a Catastrophe — How the Developers of Ashes of Creation from Intrepid Studios Scattered in Three Days

Chronicle of a Disaster — How the Developers of Ashes of Creation from Intrepid Studios Scattered in Three Days

A statement published by Margaret Krohn, former Director of Communications at Intrepid Studios, sheds light on the frighteningly rapid collapse of the studio. What began as "partial layoffs" turned into the complete dismantling of the company over a single weekend, leaving employees penniless.

Timeline of the Fall (according to Margaret Krohn):

• January 28: Studio leadership is first informed about "impending layoffs," but without any specifics.
• January 29: Krohn confidentially informs her team that changes are coming. By the end of the day, she receives the list of those to be laid off.
• January 30: Krohn personally speaks with each team member. The laid-off employees show remarkable professionalism and even offer help to those staying. The studio still believes it can move forward.
• January 31: The situation changes drastically. All employees receive a confusing letter stating that the studio is closing completely and everyone is fired.

The most egregious fact confirmed in the statement is that employees were not paid anything. Krohn confirmed the information from independent investigators.

• Final salaries were not paid.
• 60-day notices and WARN Act payments (mandatory for mass layoffs) were ignored.
• Compensation for unused vacation and other bonuses was canceled.

The situation looks extremely surreal. Despite the studio effectively ceasing to exist, and Valve already removing Ashes of Creation from the Steam store, the game's servers are still online at the moment. Players can log into a world that is formally a "ghost" — no one is looking after it anymore, and there is no one to develop it.