Wednesday April 15 – The legal saga surrounding Ashes of Creation continues to unfold, with former Intrepid Studios founder and game director Steven Sharif making serious allegations of a “deliberate misinformation and defamation campaign” against him. Just two months have passed since the tumultuous collapse of the MMORPG and its studio, leading to an ongoing legal battle between Sharif and a group of investors spearheaded by Robert Dawson. In his latest communication, Sharif references a purported 0 million acquisition offer from Riot Games, which he claims he was advised to reject.
Recent Developments
Sharif’s extensive 3,700-word statement was posted on the Ashes of Creation Reddit page, under the title “April public statement and update regarding Intrepid Studios.” Alongside his statement, he included recent court filings featuring witness declarations from himself and several former Intrepid Studios staff members, including executive producer Bryan Langford, production director Jacob Beucler, and IT director Jason Zimmerman. The filings also contain statements from three investors involved in the project, as well as a collection of exhibits intended to support his claims.
Among the documents is what appears to be confirmation of a proposal from Riot Games “to potentially acquire Intrepid, contemplating a total Riot investment of approximately 0 – 0 million.” Sharif has shared an email from Riot’s chief financial officer, Mark Sottosanti, discussing a mutual aspiration “of creating and evolving a genre-defining MMO that delights millions of players for decades.” However, the specifics of this proposal have been redacted, and Sharif asserts that Dawson advised him against pursuing the offer.
Update – April 15: Riot Games co-founder Marc Merrill has responded to the recent statements, clarifying, “Regarding the Ashes of Creation / Riot rumors, we looked at making an investment or even acquiring Intrepid a few years ago, but Riot decided not to move forward with discussions. The team there shared our goal of making the next great MMO – something we’re more committed to than ever – but combining efforts ultimately didn’t make sense for us.” The original story continues below.
In his statement, Sharif expresses concern over the public narrative surrounding him and the project, asserting that it has been tainted by a coordinated defamation effort led by the opposing parties in his lawsuit. He claims that this campaign has been amplified by content creators, including those acting as proxies for investor Jason Caramanis. Sharif alleges that Dawson frequently requested Caramanis to intimidate him on his behalf.
Sharif’s latest remarks follow a video from MMO YouTuber Caspar ‘NefasQS,’ who claimed to have acquired and analyzed the entire Intrepid Studios general ledger from 2015 to 2026. Sharif refuted these assertions in a statement to Kotaku, stating, “NefasQS has been fed false and defamatory information by individuals with an axe to grind, in an effort to litigate this dispute in the public domain alongside our lawsuit already pending in federal court.”
As the legal proceedings continue, TFE Games Holdings, the investor group currently managing the assets of Intrepid Studios and Ashes of Creation, has initiated a separate lawsuit against Sharif and his husband, John Moore, in a Nevada court. This lawsuit accuses Sharif of “misappropriating” millions of dollars, alleging that some of these funds were diverted for “personal expenses” rather than being allocated to the development of Ashes of Creation.
Sharif also addresses pressing community inquiries in his post, stating that his previous assertion that Ashes of Creation had “no board to answer to” changed in “approximately 2024,” resulting from a “forced shift in control.” He explains that he refrained from disclosing this information publicly, fearing immediate repercussions from Dawson and others, and instead chose to “attempt to go along with their demands, try to manage the situation, buy time, and protect the team as long as possible.”
Concerning the game’s launch on Steam shortly before the studio’s shutdown, Sharif contends that “based on the information I was given at the time, the company was not out of money.” He claims that access to the company’s financial details was restricted to a “need to know” basis following the control shift. He adds, “As late as January, it was represented to me and multiple team leads that approximately million in cash would be available as of February 1.”
This ongoing dispute presents just one perspective in a complex narrative that is still being scrutinized in court. As the situation develops, further claims and evidence are expected to emerge, with no clear resolution in sight. The Ashes of Creation website has also been taken offline. Efforts to reach Robert Dawson and TFE Games Holdings’ legal representatives, as well as Riot Games, are underway, and updates will be provided as responses are received.
