What is Kickstarter’s Most Successful MMO?

Intrepid Studios, the brainchild of Steven Sharif, are set to release their new mmo-rpg called “Ashes of Creation” on an unknown future date. During Mid-May 2017, Intrepid Studios took their game to Kickstarter in a bid to gain $750,000 in funding. Not only did they meet this goal on the very first day, but they also went on to earn a staggering $2.3 million dollars in pledges from the Kickstarter community. 

“Ashes of Creation” is like a number of other mmorpg games out now, except for one special game mechanic that Intrepid Studios have introduced to the industry. The mechanic is best described as dynamically changing environments, meaning that as players make decisions the environment around them will adapt according to these decisions. An example of this is where more and more players amass at a specific location, that location will then grow, according to population, from a village to a town and then a town to a city and so on.

Who Created Ashes Of Creation And What Is Their Story?

Intrepid Studios founder, Steven Sharif, answers the question of why he started the Games Studio with the statement “When I decided to start Intrepid Studios, I did it out of a love of the genre and not liking where it has been going for the past several years.” Sharif also claims that outside of Kickstarter the majority of funding for the project comes from his own pocket.

These claims led people to ask about how Steven Sharif could possibly be wealthy enough to be able to invest such a large amount of his personal wealth towards the game. Sharif replied with a post on an “Ashes of Creation” SubReddit, where he says that his wealth came from selling nutrition drinks and teaming up with well-known marketing company Xan-Go at a young age. He then says that he used this wealth to invest successfully in the Real Estate market, which made the majority of his wealth.

What Other Controversial Things Have Been Raised About Ashes Of Creation?

Steven Sharif also claimed on the Kickstarter site that “The entirety of the budget comes from my personal funding. So if there is ever a moment in the future  where there’s a small percentage [chance] that this project might not be done, those reserves are available to refund the people who pledged towards it.” Contrary to this statement is the actual policies of Kickstarter which clearly state that no refund can be guaranteed, meaning that this is a nice gesture but not a guarantee for any backer.

Another complain that has been mentioned about Ashes of Creation has to do with the claim that the dynamically evolving environment is a new direction for the mmo-rpg gaming genre to head towards. Gamers are saying that this is simply another new mechanic which could work out to be an industry changing mechanic, but at this point in development it is far too early to claim yet.