For an MMORPG that has been in development for nearly 10 years, many fans expected something different than the result they encountered last weekend in Ashes of Creation. And this despite overrun servers.
What was the launch of the Early Access of Ashes of Creation like? On December 11, 2025, the Early Access of Ashes of Creation launched on Steam, where players could dive into an alpha version of the MMO… or at least if they made it through the long and quite frustrating queues for players.
Now the first weekend has passed and players are sharing their initial impressions of the game, which after almost 10 years in development is still in an alpha state. A state that not only disappoints players but has now made them angry. This is currently reflected in the ratings on Steam, where out of 4,173 user reviews, less than half (about 45%) are positive.
Here you can see the trailer for Ashes of Creation, which is currently in Early Access on Steam:
Players find negative reviews justified
What makes the players so angry? From the numerous reactions on Reddit, it can be gathered that the state of the alpha is not the primary issue. After all, it is an alpha version, which is nearly always riddled with bugs. However, it is the point that caused the bucket to overflow.
The long development time (at one point, Ashes of Creation was supposed to release before 2020), during which too little happened for the players, disheartening insights into the first alpha, and now further problems with accounts and servers: All of this has created an atmosphere among players who can or will not trust the game anymore.
“Paying 50/100 dollars to ‘test’ a game and help in its development is the biggest scam of all time,” writes tonnyuk on Reddit, who mainly complains about the price of access.
Soermen feels the same way, as he explains on Reddit: “The problem is not that it is an alpha version, but the price and the way they sold everything.”
This is also emphasized by Lpunit on Reddit: “The GOTY, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, costs less than this alpha test.”
Is there any positive feedback at all after the first days? Finding genuinely positive feedback in the current mood of players is rather challenging. Nevertheless, there are players who are willing to remain patient and hopeful.
Some players want to observe the progress, whether the developers are listening to and implementing feedback, others state that if they overlook the issues that come with an unfinished project, they have an “overall actually quite good” experience (Papa_Ahlron on Reddit).
However, the significantly more frequent and louder response comes from those who have waited too long for something that has yet to prove itself.
Did you check out the Early Access yourselves? How was your experience in the game, and are you angry, disappointed, or in one of the other various stages of grief? The current reality of waiting players did not come out of nowhere, but has been feared for a long time: Ashes of Creation is coming to Steam in a few weeks, but many fans are not thrilled with the decision
