In Ashes of Creation the head of the MMORPG has taken control of the subreddit for his game. Allegedly at the request of the previous moderators. Not everyone is happy about this.
Oops, what happened: A user on reddit/mmorpg recently noticed that something is going on in the subreddit of “Ashes of Creation”. All mods there have been reappointed. The new head mod is “AOC_Steve” – behind this is the founder and head of the MMORPG, Steven Sharif, himself.
Is that okay? Actually, it is against moderation etiquette on reddit, the user notes, when employees of a company moderate the subreddit for a product of the company. Because there could be a conflict of interest when the head of an MMORPG also leads the subreddit, where people often discuss MMORPGs critically.
We were asked and we accepted
What does the boss say? The boss of Ashes of Creation, Steven Sharif, says that the previous operator of the subreddit contacted him and suggested returning control of the subreddit to the studio. The previous owner of the channel hopes that the subreddit will get a mod team that can invest time. Sharif explains: They accepted this at Ashes of Creation and will use the voluntary mod team from Discord. Steven Sharif will also be more involved in the discussions now.
How are users reacting? The discussion in the MMORPG subreddit is somewhat divided, with critical voices prevailing:
- People discuss that there is a good reason why devs should generally stay away from such moderation positions. Because it opens the door to accusations of censorship and control. Steven Sharif would have been a mod in the past but would have returned it after complaints.
- Others take it more lightly. It’s still not a large subreddit. Moreover, voluntary mods are often passionate fans of the game and do not allow criticism.
In the subreddit of Ashes of Creation, the mood is similar. Here, however, the positive voices prevail. Previously, the subreddit was not moderated enough. Furthermore, it is still years until Ashes of Creation appears, so there is no need to create stress now.
Ashes of Creation – Indie with Elbow?
Ashes of Creation – a bit different Indie MMORPG: Ashes of Creation is an indie MMORPG like others, but the game gives off a different vibe. It was noticed earlier that Ashes of Creation employs methods that are more reminiscent of hard business practices than the cozy “we” feeling that other indie MMORPGs like Camelot Unchained or Chronicles of Elyria give off.
- They have introduced a “Referral System” that resembled a pyramid scheme, where players were financially rewarded for referring new players. Sharif himself, the head of the MMORPG, has a professional past in organizations that rely on such pyramid systems: he sold juices and vitamins.
- Sharif does not shy away from conflict with established gaming sites like PC Gamer. This is also rather unusual for indie MMORPGs: Ashes of Creation is in conflict with a gaming site: “Hype wave and Clickbait”
