Ashes of Creation Has Poisoned the Well for Indie Devs

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Crowdfunding relies on an unspoken understanding between creators and backers. Developers implicitly promise to be open, responsible, and worthy of the trust placed in them. Backers, in turn, accept that they’re funding a project that’s unproven, potentially risky, and likely a long way from completion. When this understanding is publicly violated – especially when it happens repeatedly – it damages not just the specific project involved, but the entire crowdfunding system.

The very public failure of Ashes of Creation has damaged not only its own reputation, but also the broader world of Kickstarter-funded games. It’s confirmed players’ worst fears about supporting ambitious, long-term projects through crowdfunding. While calling it a scam might be too simple, the biggest impact is that it will be much harder for honest indie developers to gain trust and funding in the future. As someone who has successfully run a Kickstarter campaign myself, it feels like watching a disaster that harms everyone trying to build something new.

Why Ashes of Creation Broke Player Trust for Good

What really sets the disappointment surrounding Ashes of Creation apart is how obvious and long-lasting it’s become. You don’t need to be deeply familiar with the game’s development to see how players are reacting. A quick look at community forums, especially the subreddit, clearly shows a player base that’s moved beyond confusion and now feels resigned and angry.

Initially, Ashes of Creation seemed to represent everything players worried about with crowdfunded MMOs. Development took much longer than expected, promises felt further away, marketing didn’t always match actual progress, and choices about how the game would be funded caused worry even when the game was far from finished. While there might have been internal reasons for these choices, what mattered most was how they were perceived by the public. When asking people to invest in a vision, public perception is reality.

Initially, disappointment turned into doubt, and that doubt eventually became a lack of trust. This gradual change is why things feel so difficult to fix. Trust isn’t lost quickly; it disappears bit by bit with each issue and setback, until players no longer assume good intentions. Once that happens, even positive changes are viewed with skepticism rather than enthusiasm.

Ashes of Creation has become a cautionary tale. It’s now the example people point to when explaining why they’re hesitant to support MMOs on Kickstarter. That negative association is likely to last, particularly because the project’s difficulties played out so publicly over a long period. No explanation can change the negative feelings players now have towards it.

The Crowdfunding MMO Model Was Already Fragile

The crowdfunding model for massively multiplayer online games was struggling even before the current situation with Ashes of Creation. Over the past ten years, players have repeatedly been disappointed by ambitious projects that failed to deliver. These games often promised a lot but faced endless delays, were ultimately canceled, or launched in a significantly different and unfinished state. Each disappointment erodes player trust.

While Ashes of Creation didn’t cause the issues, its recent struggles have dramatically highlighted them. This wasn’t a subtle or gradual decline; it was a very public failure unfolding over years, visible on social media, and marked by repeated cycles of hope and letdown. Even people who didn’t financially support the game learned from watching it all happen.

Crowdfunded massively multiplayer online games have always faced an uphill battle, and it’s been that way for a long time. Now, thanks to the experience with Ashes of Creation, it’s even harder to get a new one funded. When a new project is announced, people are less likely to be excited and curious. Instead, they immediately start questioning its feasibility. How realistic is the timeline? Will they keep asking for more money? Is the vision achievable, or are they overpromising? These aren’t unreasonable questions, but they show that this funding model has lost trust.

Having run a Kickstarter campaign myself, I really feel for indie developers right now. They’re usually not aiming for overly ambitious projects; they’re focused on smaller, achievable goals with small teams. Crowdfunding is often their only option when they don’t have a publisher. It’s frustrating that now, all long-term projects are being viewed with suspicion, even though they haven’t done anything wrong. Making indie games was already challenging, and this just makes it even harder.

Indie Developers Are Paying the Price for Someone Else’s Failure

This is when things get truly difficult. Independent developers who weren’t involved with Ashes of Creation will now suffer the consequences of its very public failure. Investors will be skeptical of every new project, timelines will be doubted, and stretch goals will be viewed with suspicion instead of excitement.

You see the frustration online – in comments and on social media. People are tired of hearing promises and are reacting with skepticism, saying things like, “Here we go again.” Simply being open about plans isn’t enough anymore, because fans have realized that openness doesn’t always result in real change. Trust has eroded, replaced by a guarded and pessimistic attitude.

Crowdfunding depends on backers trusting the developers. When that trust is broken, it damages the entire system. Smaller development teams, lacking strong brands or marketing reach, are especially vulnerable. They depend on public goodwill, and events like this completely erode it. The biggest problem with the situation surrounding Ashes of Creation is the damage to that trust. Even if the game wasn’t intentionally fraudulent, the way things unfolded has harmed everyone involved and created lasting negative consequences for the crowdfunding community.

As a fan of indie games, I’m honestly heartbroken by how this project turned out. It’s more than just disappointment that it failed so publicly and after so long – it feels like it’s damaged everyone’s faith in crowdfunding. Now, indie devs have this extra, unfair hurdle to overcome: they have to re-convince players that crowdfunding is still a viable way to support games. It’s a fight they shouldn’t even have to be fighting, and it’s just really frustrating to see.

I’m still not sure what’s going to happen with Ashes of Creation, but honestly, I think the bigger damage is already done. It’s not just about losing out on one cool MMO; it’s that this whole situation has really shaken my trust in crowdfunding. It used to feel like these platforms let smaller developers with big ideas get a chance, and let us, as fans, actually help make those dreams a reality. Now? It feels like we’ve been burned again, and it’s hard to feel optimistic about supporting future projects. It’s just… disappointing, you know?

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2026-02-02 23:11