Intriguing MMO Ashes Of Creation Has Already Raised $2 Million

The world-building MMORPG Ashes of Creation debuted on Kickstarter earlier this month with an initial goal of $750,000. Despite being only halfway through its crowdfunding campaign, the project has managed to raise over $2 million so far, more than twice the amount of its original goal.

Developed by Intrepid Studios, an independent studio comprised of developers who've worked on EverQuest II and XCOM: Enemy Within (among other titles), Ashes of Creation is described as "an open-world, non-faction MMORPG set in a high-fantasy world." Like other MMOs, the game features player-versus-player and player-versus-environment elements, as well as group and solo quests along with larger scale "sieges."

What sets Ashes of Creation apart from other MMOs, however, is its world-building aspects. Players have a direct impact on how the world around them evolves thanks to the game's unique Node System. Different portions of the world have their own Node, which responds to your actions and influences how that part of the world changes. As your character levels up, civilization advances accordingly, which in turn affects the course of the story. You can learn more about the game's world-building aspects in the video below.

So far, the Ashes of Creation Kickstarter has hit more than half of the campaign's stretch goals, among them the addition of group mounts as well as expansive underground areas called the Underrealm. The remaining stretch goals will add another race for your avatar and new financial systems.

Ashes of Creation is due out by December 2018. The game is in development for PC and will require a subscription to play, though Intrepid hasn't yet detailed subscription costs. It will also get a "Friends and Family Alpha test" in the next few months, and you can register your interest in participating in that here.

Update: This article has been updated to reflect new alpha test timings received from Intrepid Studios.