Project Ascension Isn’t Going Away, It’s Becoming an Original MMO

Project Ascension may be shutting down its World of Warcraft servers on September 4, but the team behind the private server is not going away.

In a new message posted to the Ascension Discord, project lead Dutch said that “Ascension is becoming its own original MMO.”

The announcement gives us the clearest look yet at what the team plans to do after its WoW servers close as part of its agreement with Blizzard.

Existing Ascension accounts will carry over to the new game, and players will continue using the current Ascension launcher. The launcher will automatically update once a playable alpha is ready.

Players will also get credit for Donation Points they previously spent on Ascension. According to the announcement, those points will be converted into a new currency that can be used for exclusive founder cosmetics in the original game.

This does not appear to be a cash refund. Instead, Ascension is giving existing players value inside its next project.

The team also claims development is already well underway. Dutch said there is “a lot of work already done” and that players will not have to wait through years of teasers and concept art.

The immediate goal is a small, rough playable alpha that players can opt into, test and provide feedback on. More details about that alpha are expected later.

When Ascension first announced its WoW shutdown, the team said it planned to reuse Ascension.gg, its launcher and social accounts for a new project unrelated to Blizzard. At the time, it was not clear what that project would actually be.

Now we know they are aiming for a standalone MMORPG.

The interesting question is how long this has been in development. The claim that a significant amount of work is already finished raises the possibility that Ascension had been building original technology or planning a post-WoW project before the Blizzard settlement.

That is speculation, however. There is currently no public evidence showing when development began or whether the new MMO was specifically designed as a contingency plan.

What is clear is that the Ascension organization itself is surviving the end of its WoW servers. The team intends to keep its community, accounts, launcher and development operation intact while moving into an original game.

The first real test will come when Ascension shows its playable alpha.