Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation, which had the biggest MMO Kickstarter campaign ever, after leadership resignation and mass layoffs

1. Games
2. MMO Games

Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation, which had the biggest MMO Kickstarter campaign ever, after leadership resignation and mass layoffs News By Jordan Gerblick published 5 February 2026

"Steven taketh, Lord Gaben giveth"

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Intrepid Studios)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter GamesRadar+ Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

Signup +

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Signup +

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

Signup +

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Signup +

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

Signup +

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

Signup +

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!

Signup + An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

The future of the Kickstarter-funded MMO Ashes of Creation looks unclear at best and dire at worst, and if you're among the masses who bought the game on Steam and feel you aren't getting your money's worth, you might have success simply asking for a refund.

For some context, Ashes of Creation was the most successful MMO Kickstarter campaign ever, with the fundraiser launching in 2017 and raising almost $3.3 million. The game itself finally launched into Steam Early Access in December, and only a few weeks later its success would crumble into ashes (sorry) with the abrupt resignation of top leadership and mass layoffs.

Intrepid Studios founder and Ashes of Creation director Steven Sharif, who was the first to leave the company, said he resigned in protest after the Board seized control of the studio and started asking him to carry out unethical orders. After that, "much of the senior leadership team resigned" and Intrepid started notifying remaining staff of impending mass layoffs, according to Sharif.

You may like

• MMO Ashes of Creation hit with "mass" layoffs after studio founder resigns "in protest"
• Garry's Mod and Rust studio lead says "games should never die" as Amazon MMO New World prepares to shut down
• Disastrous Arknights Endfield launch charges players random amounts for purchases, but refunds are already going out

Intrepid recently announced a developer update stream where it'll answer questions about the whole situation, but it's safe to say players are rightfully concerned. Former Intrepid communications manager Margaret Krohn announced her departure on LinkedIn and said she doesn't know how the game will continue "when the heart and soul of the product, the amazing dev team, was all laid off."

For all of those reasons, people want their money back. Kickstarter backers and those who bought the game straight from Intrepid may be out of luck, but Steam users are sharing scattered success stories even when they don't meet the platform's refund policy requirements. GamesRadar+ deputy news editor Catherine Lewis was able to get a refund for the game by submitting a help request and choosing the 'I have a question about this purchase' prompt rather than the refund request option. That seems to be your best shot at reaching an actual human and explaining the situation if you're past the refund date or your playtime exceeds the platform's policy for receiving a refund.

There are a bunch of useful Reddit threads from people who successfully received refunds for Ashes of Creation even with dozens of hours of playtime. Here are just a few I've found, some of them with language you can copy and paste into your own help request if you want to try that:

W Steam! Refund accepted from r/AshesofCreation

How to get a Steam refund on Ashes of Creation when you played more than 2 hours and after 2 weeks. from r/AshesofCreation

Steam accepted my refund request! from r/AshesofCreation

Steam accepted my refund request! from r/AshesofCreation

The lies of the false prophet have come to light. All hail our one TRUE lord and saviour: Lord Gaben from r/AshesofCreation

Steam's official policy is to automatically deny refunds for games played more than two hours or owned for more than two weeks, but it'll occasionally make exceptions in cases like Ashes of Creation. There's still no guarantee your request will be approved, but it's definitely worth a shot using the above information as guidance.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

"My goal on PC isn't to topple Steam": Epic Games Store boss says beating Valve isn't the plan – just getting "enough market share on PC that you have to be here no matter what"

CATEGORIES PC Gaming Platforms Jordan GerblickSocial Links Navigation

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more MMO Ashes of Creation hit with "mass" layoffs after studio founder resigns "in protest"    Garry's Mod and Rust studio lead says "games should never die" as Amazon MMO New World prepares to shut down    Disastrous Arknights Endfield launch charges players random amounts for purchases, but refunds are already going out    7 years and 35,000 wishlists later, one of Steam's most popular city-builder demos failed miserably enough at Early Access for its creator to question everything: "None of this means we were owed anything"    Valve accidentally smothers indie game with 138,000 wishlists by not telling anyone it existed, then apologizes to studio by accidentally revealing Steam Machine on the same day of promotion    Arc Raiders left with a grand question after sacrificing their characters for light Expedition loot: "Was it worth it?"    Latest in MMO Games World of Warcraft Midnight is the "the fastest expansion" Blizzard has ever made, with "no sacrifices to team health"    World of Warcraft lead says Blizzard has "a bigger vision" than simply just being an MMORPG    MMO Ashes of Creation hit with "mass" layoffs after studio founder resigns "in protest"    The spirit of Garry's Mod takes residence in World of Warcraft with a 5v5 Prop Hunt mode set to hit the MMO this year    World of Warcraft lead teases "a lot of death" for "important characters" in the Worldsoul Saga, so pray for your faves    Acclaimed fantasy MMO from former EverQuest and Asheron's Call leads launches out of Steam Early Access after 8 years    Latest in News Steam is giving some players refunds for Ashes of Creation after leadership resignation and mass layoffs    Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone still feels "like an amateur" even with nearly 50 million copies sold    Marvel Rivals owner Netease says heck no we didn't shut down our AI department or warn devs off it    Game of Thrones star joins season 2 of underrated Stephen King sci-fi show from Lost director    Google's Project Genie is "not even in the same ballpark" as a real game engine according to Take-Two    Marvel and Life of Chuck actor to star alongside Scarlett Johansson in Mike Flanagan's Exorcist reboot    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Nioh 3 review: "Brutal samurai and ninja clashes across wide maps avoid retreading Elden Ring – this Soulslike is all demon killer, no filler"
2. 2This Lord of the Rings card game is a puzzle-solving masterclass
3. 3Highguard review: "A fresh but muddled FPS genre mashup that needs refinement if it's to have any staying power"
4. 4This hidden role board game makes me feel like a puppet master, so Traitors fans should listen up
5. 5Cairn review: "This climber has a grip on me – even when it loses its footing with awkward systems, the challenge remains surmountable"

1. 1Return to Silent Hill review: "Neither an impressive adaptation nor coherent enough to act as a standalone film"
2. 228 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
3. 3Avatar: Fire and Ash review: "Still a technical marvel, with some of the year's best action filmmaking"
4. 4Five Nights at Freddy's 2 review: "We have waited two years for a Five Nights at Freddy's 1.5"
5. 5Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"

1. 1Wonder Man review: "A low-key gem that's up there with the MCU's best"
2. 2Starfleet Academy review: "It may feel a little different to what we're used to, but this is Star Trek through and through"
3. 3A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review: "This Game of Thrones spin-off is a surprisingly heartfelt and fun return to Westeros"
4. 4Stranger Things season 5 finale review: “Shows off both the best and the worst of Hawkins”
5. 5Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 review: “All set up for a finale that has so much to deliver”