Former Ashes of Creation devs file two lawsuits against Intrepid Games over layoffs

Two labor lawsuits have been filed against Ashes of Creation studio Intrepid Games by former employees, following the reported mass layoff of the studio and the shutdown of the game’s Early Access build.

The suits were first noticed publicly via a Reddit thread, according to the post spotting the filings. They’re separate cases but similar in what they’re arguing: that Intrepid didn’t provide the notice and compensation required under California’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, better known as the WARN Act.

One lawsuit was filed by a former VFX artist. The other is a joint filing from a gameplay engineer and a technical director. Both point to WARN Act requirements around mass layoffs, including a 60-day warning window in qualifying situations and potential backpay for the period an employer falls short. The article also notes the law can include civil penalties of up to $500 per day for violations.

The claims line up with a previous public statement from Intrepid’s former communications director, Margaret Krohn, which said employees were informed on January 31 that they were being laid off and alleged workers wouldn’t be receiving final paychecks or the notice pay outlined under WARN.

This all follows a messy stretch for the studio after Ashes of Creation hit Steam Early Access, including founder Steven Sharif saying he resigned in protest of the company’s board as layoffs began. For now, the newest concrete development is simply that former staff have taken the dispute to court.