| Ashes of Creation | |
| Developer: | Intrepid Studios |
| Publisher: | Intrepid Studios |
| Director: | Steven Sharif (creative) |
| Platforms: | Microsoft Windows |
| Genre: | MMORPG |
| Engine: | Unreal Engine 5 |
| Modes: | Multiplayer |
| Composer: | Bear McCreary |
Ashes of Creation is an upcoming sandbox massively multiplayer online role-playing game being developed and published by Intrepid Studios. It was announced in 2016 and gained recognition by hosting a Kickstarter campaign, meeting in goal of $750,000 in under 12 hours, eventually raising over $3 million. It features a dynamic system of world building, where players actions directly contribute to the layout of the game world.
In Ashes of Creation players can pick from a range of races and classes. Initially, the player creates their character and picks one of the nine races. These consist of Kaelar or Vaelune Human, Empyrean or Py'rai Elf, Ren'kai or Vek Orc, Dünir or Niküa Dwarf, and the Tulnar. The players will also pick one of the eight primary archetypes which consist of Tank, Cleric, Mage, Fighter, Rogue, Ranger, Bard, and Summoner. Upon reaching level 25, the player can pick a secondary archetype from the initial list creating a combination of 64 possible class combinations.[1]
Like most other MMORPGs, the gameplay is driven in third-person, utilizing a hot-bar and tab-targeting for combat.[2]
Ashes of Creation features a player driven world building mechanic. As players play, designated regions will dynamically form, known as nodes. As more individuals play in that region these nodes can eventually turn into towns or cities, allowing for land development, a housing system, and a player driven political system.[2] Players have the opportunity to battle against other nodes, and defend their own against other players.[3] Dynamic PvE events will occur within the nodes and how players interact with the events will impact their development. For example, if players fail to address goblins in the area, their settlement will continue to grow and have a further impact on the area. NPCs in the node may react to these changes and develop hatred for the mobs as well.
Ashes of Creation is set in the fictional medieval high-fantasy world of Verra. This world features a diverse range of biomes, both based on the real world, such as snow, jungles, plains, etc. and biomes created by Intrepid such as corrupted areas and the Underrealm.[4]
Ashes of Creation was first announced on December 10, 2016, on a blogpost on the official website.[5] [6] The creation of the game is primarily funded by Intrepid Studios' founder Steven Sharif.[7]
Despite the large investment from Sharif, in June 2017 a Kickstarter campaign was launched. According to Intrepid Studios, this was done to "connect directly with the players most invested in our success".[8] The Kickstarter campaign met its initial funding target of $750,000 in less than 12 hours, eventually raising over $3.25 million from over 19,000 backers by the end of the campaign,[9] making it one of the fastest and highest funded projects on the platform.[8] The Kickstarter campaign drew criticism due to its use of a referral program that rewarded players with premium game credits or cash when referring others to donate to the Kickstarter campaign. Despite it being revealed that this practice was against Kickstarter's rules, the referral program continued and no action was taken against the campaign.[10] By July 2018, 500,000 users had registered accounts on the official website and 40,000 had purchased access to the alpha and beta.
In August 2018, Intrepid Studios came to an agreement with publisher My.com for rights to publish the game in EU and CIS regions.[11] When players voiced concerns regarding creative control, My.com's Voker Boenigk published a statement that Intrepid would retain full control over the direction of the game. In August 2020, My.com and Intrepid decided to part ways and the studio would self-publish in those regions.[12]
In December 2018, a free battle royale game, Ashes of Creation: Apocalypse, was released by Intrepid Studios.[13] The game was released as "a testing ground for new systems and content" according to the studio as well as showcase the work that has been completed since the Kickstart campaign ended. While the game was free, it did include options to purchase cosmetic items[14] and any cosmetic items that were earned in Apocalypse would transfer to the main game once it released. In September 2019, the game was released for free on Steam.[15] Ashes of Creation Apocalypse was brought offline on March 10, 2020.[16]
On May 27, 2021, it was announced that the lead game designer, Jeffrey Bard, would be leaving the project, and on September 17, 2021, Wynne McLaughlin, lead writer for games such as Elder Scrolls Online, had been hired by Intrepid as a senior narrative designer.[17]
Originally scheduled to start in June, Ashes of Creation began its first closed alpha playtest period on July 14, 2021. The alpha was available for players who purchased a $500 pre-order package and was subject to a non-disclosure agreement. The first alpha period was open until August 15, 2021. A second alpha period is set for Q3 of 2024.
In December 2021, Intrepid Studio announced that it would be changing the game engine from the Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5.[18] According to Intrepid Studios, this was done to allow for faster development and to take advantage of additional tools available in Unreal Engine 5. They released a teaser trailer to show a preview of the visual effects enabled by the new engine.[19]
The game is planned to have a $15 a month subscription model with no upfront box cost.[20]