With his studio Intrepid, which was specifically founded for the project, millionaire Steven Sharif has been working on the ambitious MMORPG Ashes of Creation for eight years. In an interview, he spoke about the current state, past challenges, and highly anticipated features.
What is the current state of the MMORPG? Currently, Ashes of Creation is in the second phase of Alpha 2, where interested players with access can test the online role-playing game five days a week. Phase 3 is scheduled to start on May 1, 2025, which will ensure a 24/7 deployment of the MMORPG.
In an interview with the well-known MMORPG YouTuber TheLazyPeon, studio head Steven Sharif reveals more details about the status quo (via YouTube).
- The team is currently in a central phase of development. The various core systems (70 to 80 percent of the planned core systems and 20 to 30 percent of the content are currently included) are undergoing new iterations at a high speed, and the playable world in the Alpha is gradually expanding.
- Of the countless planned node versions, for example, only two are currently available in the Alpha. Once the core functionalities of these are in place and all upgrade levels are included, it will be relatively easy and quick to provide more variants for all node types, races, and biomes.
- Almost 250 developers are currently working on Ashes of Creation.
- Although you can already experience in the Alpha how Ashes of Creation will generally be played or feel, as, for example, the combat system is implemented in a representative form. However, according to Sharif, those who want to experience Ashes of Creation in a sufficiently advanced version within the Alpha should really start during Phase 3.
- Currently, 130,000 players are participating in the Alpha. In December 2024, for example, around 6,000 characters were online on one server. Steven Sharif states that to his knowledge, there is no other Unreal Engine 5 game where this has happened so far. The backend systems were specifically designed for this and are expected to hold up well.
The developers have just shown gameplay of the rogue class:
Thick skin thanks to gaming enthusiasm
What else has the lead developer revealed? In the interview, Steven Sharif reflects on the past eight years. As an MMORPG enthusiast and millionaire, he reportedly invested a significant part of his fortune to found Intrepid Studios and develop an online role-playing game that he would love to play himself with great enthusiasm.
He did expect that it would be a difficult task, certainly one of the hardest of his life – especially since he had no experience in game development until then – but today he admits that it is even “much harder than he thought”. He had to learn everything at a very high pace, all while developing a complex, extensive MMORPG.
The decision to involve the community early in the development process is both a blessing and a curse for Sharif. A blessing because the team has received incredibly important feedback over the years, which has significantly improved the game. Additionally, the progress that Ashes has made over the years is well documented.
Unfortunately, there are individuals who, according to the developer, are only out to sow doubts, change what the developers want to achieve with Ashes, or speak badly about the project as a whole. However, Sharif also states that he can understand harsh feedback to a certain extent.
He himself is a passionate gamer who has said things out of emotion that were not very constructive. During his competitive time, he received so much toxicity that he has developed a thick skin regarding online communication long before Ashes.
You can find the full interview below and on the YouTube channel of TheLazyPeon:
Players as raid bosses – this can happen in Ashes
What else is planned for Ashes? Steven Sharif discusses the two yet-to-be-playable features that he is most looking forward to:
- With the Monster Coins, a system will soon be introduced that allows you to take on the role of certain NPCs and interact with other players as them. Through a comprehensive talent system, you can unlock more and more skills for interaction. Some particularly rare coins will even allow you to control raid bosses and obliterate raids with powerful lightning.
- With the node sieges and the destruction system for nodes, players can, for example, fight for relics that provide strong bonuses for the node they are in. Through such a siege, a node fortress can then temporarily become a ruin, turning the region into an open-PvP zone that attracts special loot.
In the coming months, Ashes will also receive more regions and quest content, yet to be implemented systems (such as for nodes and crafting), as well as more graphic details, races, factions, and so on. You can find more details about the game here: Release, Roadmap, Alpha 2, Classes, Gameplay, Payment Model – everything important about Ashes of Creation.
