Ambitious MMO gets 2-hour gameplay showcase, but fans are still skeptical

MMORPG fans aren’t exactly spoilt for choice, so when a new MMO comes along and promises the world, it immediately grabs our attention. One ambitious MMORPG that’s been in development for nearly eight years just got a two-hour gameplay showcase, but fans online aren’t impressed.

Intrepid Studios broadcast a lengthy development update for its expansive MMORPG-in-development, Ashes of Creation, in a July 31 Twitch stream. The video shows a party of six (fairly run-of-the-mill) fantasy characters exploring a forested area; you can see the interface and talent trees, a few buff spells from the Bard class, and some basic combat. The graphics and animations are nice, but there’s nothing particularly unique or exciting on show.

A Redditor shared the clip to /r/MMORPG on the same day, and the replies are very telling of the community’s sentiment. The top-voted response reads: “I comment this on every [Ashes of Creation] post: I will get hyped once we are within 3 months of official release.” One user replied, “I honestly don’t think this game will ever be fully ready,” while another said, “!remindmein2034.”

They’ve got a point. Ashes of Creation amassed over 3 million dollars from nearly 20,000 Kickstarter backers in 2017, and seven years later, there’s still no sign of a release date on the horizon. The Wiki says Alpha Two is happening in October 2024, but it could still be far from a finished product.

In the comments, users were impressed by the visuals but concerned about the gameplay—specifically the combat. “Loving the graphics and the new animations,” one commenter wrote, [but] “I hope they continue to improve the combat because it looks like it has a ways to go.” Another agreed: “It still looks bad when it comes to movement so I assume they’re working on that… Without a serious tuning no one will be playing melee.”

Others were more skeptical, with one Redditor pointing out: “Have they ever [shown] a city in this game? It’s always in the middle of a forest. The world looks great so far but the combat just looks so floaty and bad,” while another called it “another scam.”

In any case, if the developer wants MMO fans to take Ashes of Creation seriously, it sounds like they have a long road ahead. As a lifelong fan of the genre, I’m desperate for a modern MMO to fill the void, and I’d love for Ashes of Creation to suceed. But until we see some proper gameplay that stands up to the titans of the genre, like WoW and FFXIV, I’ll continue waiting with bated breath.