In a livestream, the developers of Ashes of Creation provided some insights behind the scenes. It was also announced that the game will be released in 2020.
This is the situation: Ashes of Creation claims to be one of the largest western MMORPGs currently in development. Looking at the current situation, it could actually be the largest western online role-playing game in development.
However, the development process, which had seemed so promising, is now taking a turn.
When is Ashes of Creation expected to be released? Since the Director’s Letter on Friday, many have suspected that the MMORPG Ashes of Creation would not make a release this year.
Now, 2020 has been confirmed as the new goal by Game Director Steven Sharif in the livestream. He cites the high standards that the developers have for the game and the move of the development studio to larger premises as reasons for the delays.
Additionally, all other announced dates and deadlines were declared invalid by Sharif.
Mass battles delay the development of the game
One of the main problems with the PvP standalone Apocalypse was performance. Since large battles are planned for the MMORPG, a significant amount of developer time went into this.
The technical details must be correct: In the Directors Letter it was mentioned that the developers have learned a lot. This was specified in the livestream.
Particularly in the technical area and backend improvements are said to have occurred. These are intended to enable fast communication between the data, servers, and players’ clients.
How many players are expected to participate in the battles? Since in Ashes of Creation it will also be about defending your fortresses against other attacks, the performance of the game needs to be solid.
Currently, according to Sharif, around 250 players can fight together at one location without performance issues. However, battles with 500 people are planned for the MMORPG.
New trailers for the sieges: In order for the sieges to be thoroughly tested, the fortress mode is to be introduced in Apocalypse.
There is now a short video featuring material from such a battle:
New employees and workplace
Aside from the technical problems, there were also things the studio had to work out within itself. This includes hiring new employees and finding a new workplace.
How many new employees were hired? The company Intrepid Studios actually wanted to grow to 80 to 100 employees last year. This apparently also failed due to the high demands of Steven Sharif.
At least 15 new faces were introduced in the Director’s Letter. According to LinkedIn, 43 people currently work for the studio.
New home for Intrepid Studios: In order for the new employees to have space in the offices, the studio has moved to a new home. Here, too, there were delays because various contracts, which were already ready for signing, fell through.
For example, one provider sold his building to a new owner shortly before signing, who then let the contract fall through.
However, a new home has now been found, to which the studio is expected to move soon.
Content creators are satisfied with the current statements
Openness is well received: In our article on the current status of Ashes of Creation, we pointed out that various content creators were very dissatisfied with the communication.
This has now changed. In a new video from Paradox Gaming Network, they explain that the latest livestream was the best so far from the studio.
Other fans on Reddit also found the livestream significantly better than the Director’s Letter. The letter was too superficial, while the stream went into much more detail.
The fact that the release has been pushed to 2020 surprised hardly anyone. Instead, it was positively received that the studio officially communicated this now.
