The open-world MMO has been tantalizing fans since 2016, but another Ashes of Creation delay has stoked new doubts. Phase 3 of Alpha 2 was originally slated for August 4 (after already being postponed from May), but Intrepid Studios has now pushed it to the end of the month.

Just days before its third alpha phase was due to begin, Ashes of Creation grabbed headlines once again for a fresh delay—one that hasn’t gone over well with parts of its community. The ambitious, player-funded fantasy MMORPG has drawn Star Citizen comparisons for its endless development timeline and the controversy surrounding its business model. While the developers have explained the latest delay, many now doubt whether the game will ever see a full release.

According to Intrepid Studios, Alpha 2’s Phase 3—which was initially set for May 1 and later for August 4—has now been rescheduled to August 26, 2025. The team says it needs more time for adjustments and optimization, since this new testing phase will include a second starting area, new playable races, and significant improvements to core systems like the economy, crafting, and nodes.

Ashes of Creation Fans Say It’s Just Like Star Citizen

Despite promises of progress, some in the community have lost patience. On Reddit, users have voiced harsh skepticism. “I’ve said it a million times: Ashes of Creation will never be finished,” laments BroxigarZ, who claims that at this pace, the game won’t arrive before 2040. Others criticize the team’s supposed lack of experience or suggest that constant funding via Early Access bundles and cosmetics is actually slowing development down.

Comparisons to Star Citizen were immediate. Some fans accuse Intrepid Studios of repeating the same mistakes as other community-funded projects, where endless development cycles and no firm release dates erode trust. Although the main fundraising ended in 2017, the studio added early monetization in the 2024 alpha, which already drew criticism—so now, studio credibility is back under fire.

Still, some defend Ashes of Creation and its dev process. MeinMMO points out that today’s large-scale MMORPGs take much longer to make than a decade ago, and that the studio is at least being transparent by showing progress and allowing testers to share their thoughts. Even so, they advise caution: “Wait for the final product. The history of community-funded MMOs is full of broken promises.” The future of Ashes of Creation is still uncertain—along with many players’ faith in the genre’s biggest projects.

Source: 3djuegos