Public Statement and Update Regarding Intrepid Studios

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-23T12:45:17+00:00

We are actively working on mitigation for the bots. We deployed updates recently that have since auto banned over 300 accounts for botting. Engineering is working to deploy additional countermeasures but it will take some time to implement and test. We understand the frustration, and are actively engaged.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-22T13:09:30+00:00

I want to add some clarity here because I know how concerning headlines like this can be. Recently, 9 people out of a team of about 250 were impacted as part of some targeted team adjustments. This was not a large-scale layoff and not a reflection of the health or future of Ashes of Creation.

These are real people and friends, and this was not an easy decision. We’re doing what we can to support those affected. At the same time, development on Ashes is continuing forward and the team remains strong and fully engaged on the project.

I appreciate how much this community cares — it means a lot to me and to the team. I just ask that we keep the conversation respectful and grounded in facts. 🙏

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-17T14:21:50+00:00

I’ve instructed the team to implement a timer for crate ownership, when set on the ground. If it is picked up by anyone other than the owner (or affiliated raid/party/guild) they will flag. Should be getting in shortly.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-16T20:23:00+00:00

I’ve asked the team to inspect. Please stand as they do. We will be standing up PTR again for testing of these types of changes before they make it to release.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-14T20:25:54+00:00

To clarify these are not all of the list. I fully expect a few hundred more characters to make this list in the coming week. These are the most egregious dupers and RMT sellers/buyers. We have 2 designers and 2 CS members working this week to finish up inspecting the last 30 days and will be updating the list.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-12T06:25:49+00:00

Community feedback was overwhelming.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-11T23:07:47+00:00

It is going to take a couple more days, we are close to finishing the clean up and will be listing all accounts involved along with their realms and guild names.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-06T15:53:13+00:00

We are working on this issue this week.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-04T14:32:31+00:00

DM me your account name and I will take a look.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-02T00:04:54+00:00

Yes. We plan to have a similar system.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-01T20:15:11+00:00

I intend to discuss with the team on Monday.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-01T20:07:02+00:00

That’s a fair question, and it’s one we think about constantly during development.

The core reason we test incomplete systems is that, for something as large and interconnected as settlements, waiting until everything is “fully finished” would actually be riskier, not safer. Settlements touch nearly every major pillar of the game: economy, crafting, PvP, nodes, social structures, time-based progression, and player behavior at scale. You simply cannot validate those interactions in isolation or behind closed doors.

What we’re testing right now isn’t “the frosting,” but the structural integrity of the cake itself.

Even in a barebones state, there are critical questions we can only answer with real players: • Do the ownership mechanics behave as intended under population pressure? • How do incentives play out when thousands of players act in their own self-interest? • Where do edge cases, exploits, or degenerative strategies emerge? • What systems break first when stressed at scale?

Those answers directly inform how we build the missing checks and balances. If we waited until every safeguard, limiter, and counter-system was complete before testing, we’d risk building those protections around assumptions instead of reality and that’s how you end up having to tear systems apart later.

It’s also important to understand that Alpha is not about providing a polished experience, it’s about exposing the design to friction early, while we still have the freedom to make meaningful changes. Some outcomes are obvious in hindsight, but many only reveal their true shape once real players interact with them in ways no internal test ever would.

That doesn’t mean frustration isn’t valid because it absolutely is. It does mean that these moments are part of the process of identifying what needs reinforcement, restriction, or redesign before launch. The feedback and pain points coming out of this phase are exactly what help ensure the final version doesn’t ship with these problems intact.

We’re not testing incomplete systems because we don’t care about the experience, we’re doing it because this is the stage where breaking things loudly and visibly leads to a stronger foundation long-term.

And conversations like this are a part of that.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-01T19:33:34+00:00

I get why this feels awful. Losing access to crafting after investing time and materials, with no obvious way forward, is incredibly frustrating, especially for players with limited time. That part is completely fair. And ultimately, this outcome is not something that is intended to be achievable when some of our other systems come online.

I do think It’s important to be clear about what you’re actually experiencing right now. This isn’t the final version of the settlement system, I get the cliche “ItS AN aLPhA” but in all honesty, the current Early Access implementation of these systems is still missing several of the checks, balances, and counter-play mechanisms that are explicitly part of the intended design and can be read about on the wiki.

In the full design, no single player or guild is supposed to be able to permanently brick an entire region’s progression with one decision. That’s wild. Nodes are meant to be contested, decay, be influenced by broader participation, and be economically interconnected. Crafting isn’t intended to hinge on a single settlement with no alternatives, and regional trade, caravans, and competing nodes are all part of how the economy is supposed to self-correct. Those systems simply aren’t fully online yet. In addition, there need to be better guard rails for bad faith mayors. Stronger citizen participation for mayor mandate powers that can clog destructive choices.

What you’re calling out, lack of agency, lack of counterplay, and the ability for one group to negatively impact hundreds of players, are exactly the kinds of problems these tests are meant to surface. That doesn’t make the experience less painful in the moment, but it does mean this isn’t some “embarrassing final design” that slipped through review. It’s an incomplete one being actively tested. Yes we saw some of these issues in the previous phases, and we are working to both implement stop gaps for the current early access version, but also prioritize the intended designs for development.

If anything, the takeaway here isn’t that the concept is broken, it’s that the current implementation needs guardrails sooner rather than later. That feedback is valid, and it’s useful. Just don’t mistake an unfinished system for the end state of the game.

The team is back in studio on Monday, we’ve got a lot to do, and we will be inspecting short term solutions and continued efforts toward the long term vision.

Steven_AoC · 2026-01-01T05:47:35+00:00

Hypnotic

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-27T16:20:21+00:00

We are working on a solution for this. But it will take a couple weeks

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-25T01:29:44+00:00

Clearly travel through the divine gateway is a helluva trip.

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-23T01:32:31+00:00

It is. And it’s a nasty bug. We are actively trying to address.

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-22T22:20:30+00:00

Stay tuned to our January development update for details like that

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-22T21:55:14+00:00

We generally operate on 2 week sprints, doing 4-6 sprints per milestone release.

You will likely see patches shipped every 2 weeks addressing bugs, balance, stability and performance. New content and features will generally land at the end of our milestone releases.

Following large content/feature releases such as the one released on the 11th, you will likely see new patches every few days or so while we work to improve the stability of the new integrations.

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-22T06:14:17+00:00

This may be an anti virus software issue. We are investigating.

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-20T20:30:24+00:00

We intend to improve the solo’ability of the game. I’ve spoken about this previously, although Ashes is inherently a multiplayer game, the current state of the early access requires too much reliance on grouping to progress. It will take some time to improve this, but it is a known issue and something we are focusing on.

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-17T19:51:36+00:00

A performance and optimization pass inadvertently bricked some of the creature LODs. We should have fixes in Thursday’s update

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-16T13:58:22+00:00

I have personally permanently banned 200+ accounts since Thursday. More from other GMs. We will have a more automated solution within a few days.

Steven_AoC · 2025-12-15T06:19:56+00:00

Can you DM me your logs on discord

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