Ashes of Creation’s $3.2 Million Kickstarter Funds Reportedly Used for Private Chefs and Trading Cards

The investors behind Ashes of Creation, the now-defunct MMORPG from Intrepid Studios that raised $3.2 million on Kickstarter, are currently caught in a turbulent and public legal dispute following the game’s removal from Steam in February.

The ongoing exchanges between former CEO Steven Sharif and the studio’s board have made it challenging to ascertain the truth of either party’s claims. However, a detailed report released by a YouTube channel on April 11 may bring us closer to clarity.

This latest report asserts that it has “obtained and processed the entire Intrepid Studios general ledger from 2015 to 2026,” revealing a “troubling picture of a company that was on the brink of financial collapse at various points in its history.”

Describing the contents of the general ledger as “troubling” feels like a significant understatement. Allegations suggest that Sharif and his husband, John Moore, misused the Ashes of Creation budget to support their extravagant lifestyle. This includes payments to a personal chef (who reportedly worked privately for Sharif and Moore), $41,717 spent on auction sites for historical items, a $421.91 charge at a luxury cigar shop, and substantial sums directed to various trading card game and miniature figurine retailers.

Perhaps the most alarming claim in the general ledger involves a company named Gore Oil, which allegedly received $81,166. Gore Oil was the deed holder for Sharif and Moore’s San Diego mansion, purchased by the couple on April 11, 2020, for $4.9 million.

Since the video was published, there have been attempts to suppress it. The channel noted in a comment on YouTube, “Someone already filed a privacy complaint against this video, just a heads-up but we will be disputing it. Someone also reported my Reddit account from our community subreddit to the admins.”

The last update from Intrepid Studios’ former CEO, Steven Sharif, came on March 6, when he shared a statement celebrating his “first legal victory” over the studio’s Board of Directors in the U.S. District Court of Southern California on March 3. Technically, that wasn’t the final word, as he also posted a flexing arm emoji on March 19 in the same Discord server.

Since then, Sharif has remained silent, aligning with his March 6 statement that he would only defend himself “in court, where the facts matter and where evidence would determine the outcome.”