Crowdfunded MMOs don’t usually end well. Ashes of Creation is one of those MMOs, and it is a passion project that’s trying to do a lot, so it faces a lot of criticism.
It isn’t easy, making a game as complex as Ashes of Creation. It is a callback to many aspects that made old-school MMO classics great. Naturally, this means that the game will face a lot of player backlash if the mechanics aren’t there or if they aren’t as great as players want them to be. We all know how many Kickstarter projects stretch on into infinity with their development. Then they also start charging money for strange things as the developers notice that the game isn’t going anywhere so they want to squeeze out as much money as they can before leaving.
But, in an interview with MMORPG, Steven Sharif shared some of his thoughts with us. He said that their reason for crowdfunding wasn’t actually to fund the project. No, Steven is funding the project himself, and Kickstarter was a way for them to get in touch with the community. And also to make them feel involved with the progression and development of the game.
The fact that the developers didn’t rely on the players from a financial point of view, they didn’t mind any skepticism. People had a lot of reasons to doubt any crowdfunding project, and for Steven and his crew, this was perfectly fine. They didn’t need to pledge any money or support the game, they could just watch and see how it would develop.
If you aren’t busy with playing Battle for Azeroth, take a look at Ashes of Creation. It has a lot of potential, and it looks like it will be one of the more interesting MMORPGs if everything ends up working as it’s supposed to in the end.
