After all the developments surrounding Ashes of Creation, Margaret Krohn, the former Head of Communication at Ashes of Creation, is now speaking out. She confirms previous statements made by an insider and even reveals new details concerning the laid-off employees.
What is known so far? On February 1, there was news from Steven Sharif, the then CEO of Intrepid Studios and Creative Director of Ashes of Creation, that he and another executive would be leaving the studio and that there would be mass layoffs.
However, it remained unclear what the future holds for the MMORPG. Those searching for Ashes of Creation on Steam will currently find nothing. The game has been removed from the store, and so far there are no refunds for those who purchased the title.
Now, the former Head of Communication of Ashes of Creation is sharing her perspective on X, detailing how she experienced the layoffs.
Personal Layoff within 24 Hours
What does Krohn report? According to her, there was news on January 28, 2026, that 100 developers were to be laid off. At that time, she still hoped that there could be a way to satisfy everyone together.
In the morning, she shared this information with her team. By the end of the day, she received the information about which individuals would be laid off.
On January 30, she spoke with each individual on the team and informed them whether they were affected. Even those who were affected showed the professionalism that she loved about her team.
But the next day, there was a bombshell. A confusing email was in her inbox stating that the entire team would be laid off:
It is still shocking. The entire studio gathered to try to understand what had happened and what it meant for our future. Ultimately, none of us would receive our final paycheck, the 60-day notice period and compensation as stipulated in the WARN Act, PTO payouts, or any other owed compensations.
In the comments, she also reveals that there was no communication to the players because everyone from the communication team was laid off. The players deserved better, and the developers would have continued to develop Ashes of Creation. What happened was 100% illegal.
She then lists her thoughts on the different parties involved:
- She apologizes to the players and reveals how much love is put into Ashes of Creation. She regrets how this journey ended and hopes that the players receive their well-deserved refunds.
- She sees the development team as her family. They will support each other during this difficult time.
- She appeals to recruiters that they could refer to a submitted form to possibly distribute the developers to other companies.
The explosive development regarding the mass layoffs at the studio of Ashes of Creation thus occurred within a week. At first, the head of the development studio tried to appease and comfort the fans: There were layoffs at the studio behind Ashes of Creation, the studio head reassures the fans of the MMORPG
