Elder Scrolls Alternative Doomed 52 Days After Launch, Devs Quit in Protest

The Elder Scrolls VI is, as I’m sure you’re aware, nowhere in sight.

The highly anticipated title was first revealed by Bethesda in 2018 but outside of brief assurances that it’s still in development, the game is yet to properly come to light.

It is widely believed that it’ll launch in the next two to four years; I don’t think many of us will truly put stock in that though until a fresh trailer lands.

It’s with that in mind, that many of us have been searching for Elder Scrolls adjacent RPG experiences that may help scratch the itch.

Ashes of Creation is one such game that fits that bill, having launched very recently in December.

Just 52 days after debuting though, the writing may already be on the wall for Intrepid Studios’ MMORPG.

Senior Leadership Walkouts and Mass Layoffs Incoming

Several key developers on the project have reportedly suddenly quit in protest with mass layoffs supposedly incoming for many of the remaining devs.

As reported by WCCFTech, it all began when members of the development team began listing their work status as ‘open to work’ on LinkedIn.

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By all accounts, it looks as if control had begun to shift away from Steven Sharif, the founder, CEO, and creative director of Intrepid Studios.

As such, “The Board began directing actions that I could not ethically agree with or carry out”, Sharif wrote in Ashes of Creation’s Discord channel.

“As a result, I chose to resign in protest rather than lend my name or authority to decisions I could not ethically support. Following my resignation, much of the senior leadership team resigned.

Ashes of Creation, Credit / Intrepid Studios

“Following those departures, the Board made the decision to issue WARN Act notices and proceed with a mass layoff,” he continued.

Director of communications and marketing, Margaret Krohn, has since taken to LinkedIn, saying, “As for how this all ended… I don’t really have the words. It wasn’t what I expected. But I’m holding onto the good because there was so much of it.”

According to public records from the State of California, unearthed by Reddit user pew_pow_pew_pow, Intrepid’s ‘board’ consists of just Sharif and his husband John Moore, the studio’s chief financial officer.

The game’s score has since dropped to ‘Mostly Negative’ on PC storefront Steam as players react to this debacle.

“Since Ashes of Creation will be shutting down soon, purchasing the game right now might be a bad idea,” read one such review.

“Steam should offer instant refunds for products that come out in early access after years of development just to shut down in a month or two after this,” added another.

It’s important to confirm that the game’s shutdown hasn’t yet been confirmed but with all of this behind the scenes chaos, it’s hard to picture a future for the title.

If you did find Ashes of Creation as somewhat of an Elder Scrolls alternative, there are several other stellar RPGs out there I’d heartily recommend.

Elder Scrolls Fans May Want To Try These Games Instead

Avowed perhaps tops that list. This 2025 release from Obsidian garnered a respectable score of 80 over on Metacritic and offers a gorgeous and engaging world.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is also well worth a play. There’s quite a Game of Thrones feel about this one too, especially if you’re into the vibes of spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

It’s a couple months off yet, but Crimson Desert is also an RPG to keep in mind. Launching on 19 March, the ambitious title claims to be twice as large as Skyim and bigger than Red Dead Redemption 2.

That aside, I think I speak on behalf of all of us when I say that I hope the developers of Intrepid Studios find fresh work soon; this industry is nothing without the creatives who form its beating heart.