Well, this is a mess. Former Ashes of Creation developers who got laid off aren't getting their final paychecks or severance, according to the game's ex-communications head who just went public with the whole situation.
So here's what's going down. Intrepid Studios, the folks behind the long-awaited MMO Ashes of Creation, apparently let go of a bunch of staff recently. But instead of handling it like, you know, a normal company would, they're basically ghosting their former employees on compensation. The former comms head called the whole thing "heartbreaking" - and honestly? That feels like an understatement.
Look, we've seen plenty of studio closures and layoffs in 2026 already. The industry's been rough. But not paying people their final paychecks? That's a new low. These devs worked on a game that's been in development for years, building up hype in the community, and this is how they get treated on the way out?
What makes this worse is that Ashes of Creation has been one of those games everyone's been waiting for. The MMO space desperately needs fresh blood, and this project had real potential. Now? Who knows what happens next. Hard to keep development going when you're not even paying the people you just fired.
I've reached out to Intrepid for comment, but given they're not even responding to their own former employees about paychecks, I'm not holding my breath. This whole situation stinks, and the devs caught in the middle deserve better.
Fred
Shooters — FPS, tactical, battle royale, competitive multiplayer