In the new MMORPG Ashes of Creation, the Alpha 1 was initially supposed to start in Fall 2020. It was planned to occur without an NDA. However, a new date was mentioned in the recent Director’s Letter. The Alpha 1 has now been delayed until April 2021.
What happened? In a letter, Steven Sharif, the Game Director and founder of the game, commented on the situation regarding Alpha 1. It was supposed to begin in Fall 2020. Players had already counted on dates in October and November of this year.
But that won’t happen. The official start of Alpha 1 has been postponed to April 1, 2021, as announced in a letter to the community.
Originally, Alpha 1 was even scheduled for earlier, namely for the second quarter of 2019. Thus, it has been postponed by a total of 2 years.
The game is supposedly far along, but testing is delayed
What is causing the delay? As Sharif emphasizes, the Alpha and Beta tests for Ashes of Creation are “real tests.” Therefore, there will be little content and many bugs. Particularly the UI, the tutorial, and the quests are not yet fully developed.
The Game Director emphasizes that Alpha 1 will take place without an NDA and that this is “a bit crazy.” After all, its incompleteness could leave a poor impression on players.
To fix some important issues and polish the MMORPG further by then, the Alpha dates have been adjusted:
- There will be tests in December 2020 and February 2021, in which backers who have paid at least $450 for access to Alpha 1 can participate – both still have an NDA.
- From March 18 to March 26, there will be a longer test for 7 days – initially without an NDA.
- The official Alpha 1 is expected to run from April 6 to May 6.
How far along is the game? In the past months, several contents around Ashes of Creation have been presented, including 90 minutes of uninterrupted gameplay, a video with new details about housing, and information about the hybrid combat system.
Sharif emphasizes in his letter that fans still haven’t seen anything despite all the gameplay:
I know that people see our 4K material and say: “That looks better than most released games,” but believe me when I say that you haven’t seen anything yet.
Although Sharif is very optimistic, there have been repeated setbacks in development in the past, such as with Apocalypse, the PvP standalone for Ashes of Creation.
In the last 30 days, only 2 players played simultaneously on Steam – at most (via Steamcharts). Additionally, expansions like castle sieges and own classes for the mode were announced, which still aren’t available today.
While the development of Ashes of Creation may seem positive, it is by no means running smoothly.
What will happen after Alpha 1? Intrepid has already released a schedule for what will happen after Alpha 1:
- Alpha 2
- Beta 0 – Access will be raffled
- Beta 1
- Beta 2
- Pre-Release – 1-2 days before launch
- Release
- One major update per quarter after release
However, there are no specific dates for the planned phases. The only thing that currently seems certain is a regular livestream per month showcasing new content. Recently, it focused on the mounts in Ashes of Creation.
