For the upcoming alpha test of Ashes of Creation, the developers at Intrepid want to sell new access and address the criticism from the community.
What is going on with the alpha accesses of Ashes of Creation? When the ambitious MMORPG finally launches, it will adopt an unusual payment model with mandatory subscription, in-game shop, and no purchase price. Those who want to get in early must either be very lucky (and snag a free access somewhere) or invest a considerable amount of money.
During the first Kickstarter campaign in May 2017, which raised $3.271 million, interested parties could purchase crowdfunding packages worth up to $10,000. Back then, one needed to invest at least $400 for an alpha-1 access.
A year later, a second means of support followed through the purchase of supporter packages. In these the alpha-1 access even cost $500. It was already clear then that the contents of the packages were meant to rotate to continually create incentives for purchase. This did not sit well everywhere. Additionally, there was criticism regarding a supposed pyramid system for recruiting new players.
Plenty of gameplay for the mage class from Ashes of Creation:
What is the current status? In September 2023, the developers announced that they would not sell pre-order packages for the time being starting January 2024 (via support.ashesofcreation.com).
However, with the upcoming second alpha test in October, this changed. The developers initially only presented first-wave bundles for $120, which will offer the earliest possible access to alpha 1 on November 8, 2024. In contrast to the previous crowdfunding packages, additional goodies such as beta accesses or a month of subscription were not included.
This once again led to a lot of criticism, for example on Reddit. Studio head and creative director Steven Sharif responded to this and clarified (via ashesofcreation.com) that all three first-wave bundles would also include access to beta tests, each one month of subscription time, as well as in-game currency Embers worth $15.
How does the community react to the changes? After there had always been a lot of enthusiasm and anticipation during the latest gameplay presentations regarding the progress of Ashes of Creation, one notices in the current discussions that many interested parties remain disappointed by the paid alpha accesses.
- Shezzerino summarizes the fundamental problem succinctly (via Reddit): “You are still paying to test the alpha version of a game. That is ridiculous. […] If they do this, what will they do later?”
- DoomRevenant claims to be a developer himself and writes (via Reddit): “From a developer’s perspective, all of this tells me that the developers are either completely incompetent and should not be in the industry, or, which is far more likely, they are just greedy and trying to commercialize the alpha of their game and use it as an excuse to entice whales, rather than actually using it for its intended purpose.”
- GM_Jedi7 is also disappointed (via Reddit): “The fact that they even tried the first method should be a warning signal. That they are moving away from it is nothing to applaud.”
Hope dies last
How does MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz assess the situation? I make no secret that I am very excited about Ashes of Creation. I consider the node system to be potentially genre-defining, the MMORPG has been making visible progress for a long time now and the technology seems to be ready to implement the ambitious plans.
There are only two things I do not like. First, the health system of Ashes of Creation in PvP, and second, the way interested parties have been charged so far to test the MMORPG in alpha and beta rounds and give feedback. My recommendation, as always: Wait for the finished (then free outside of the subscription) game before spending money.
However, the truth is that Ashes of Creation would never exist in this ambitious form without continuous crowdfunding. The Kickstarter was over seven years ago. While other companies are laying off people left and right, Intrepid continues to hire – about 200 developers are now working on Ashes of Creation. Accordingly, the project burns through a considerable amount of dollars every month.
What would the alternative be? Western publishers have not ventured into such ambitious MMORPG projects for many years. The current consolidation phase is likely to have worsened this. When companies are willing to spend a lot of money on comparable games, it is the Tencents and Neteases, i.e., Asian megacorporations, that do not enjoy a very good reputation here.
Due to the regular developer updates and visible progress, I am also sure that Ashes of Creation is not a scam attempt, will be finished in the foreseeable future, and already has the potential to become a really good MMORPG.
That is significantly more than I can say about other long-term projects like Camelot Unchained or Chronicles of Elyria. A general overview of the game can be found here: Everything about the new MMORPG Ashes of Creation – Release, Classes, Gameplay, and Nodes
