As unhappy players fight to get refunds out of Steam, an update from one of the studio’s directors claims the “entire” development team working on the ill-fated MMO Ashes of Creation was reportedly laid off without notice or their January paychecks.

The shocking revelation comes from Intrepid Studios’ former director of communications, Margaret Krohn, who revealed in a lengthy post on Twitter/X that three days after originally being told around 100 developers would be losing their jobs, a “confusing email” arrived confirming “all” staff would be laid off. “It is still shocking,” Krohn wrote. “The entire studio gathered to try to understand what had happened and what it meant for our future.”

Earlier this week, Steam quietly withdrew Ashes of Creation from sale after its director and leadership team quit just weeks after it launched as a $50 Early Access game on Steam. The game’s director Steven Sharif said “much of” the senior dev team had quit “in protest,” claiming that its management board had asked him to do things he “could not ethically support.” According to Sharif, the Board then issued WARN Act notices — layoff warnings, in other words — to the remaining staff. It’s unclear who sits on this mysterious board.

According to a new public record request, we now know that the formal WARN Act notification was issued on January 31 and indicated that 210 employees were “affected” by the filing, 123 of whom worked in California.

“In the end, none of us are receiving our final paychecks, the 60-day notice and pay outlined under the WARN Act, PTO payouts, or other compensation owed,” Krohn explained.

“What matters most to me now are the people — both the players and developers. To my colleagues: this team is truly a family. The culture we built together is something I have never experienced anywhere else. In the midst of heartbreak and uncertainty, we have come together to review resumes, help with portfolios, share job leads, and support one another emotionally. That says everything about who we are as people.”

“To the players: the entire development team was working extremely hard, pulling long hours, and wishes with all our hearts that we could give you Ashes of Creation. There are no words that fully express how sorry we are that this journey ended this way. You should pursue a refund, you deserve it.”

Unfortunately, Steam doesn’t seem to agree. While you can find plenty of people across Discord and Reddit claiming to have received refunds despite having played more than two hours, there’s an equal number of players frustrated that their requests have been denied, and there seems to be little consistency across Steam’s Support team.

“They denied me with 2.3 hours played. Bought in December and denied because it ‘exceeds refund time,'” wrote one player, while another said: “I can’t believe it… and I’m hearing they froze/reversed the December payment to Intrepid so basically Steam have stollen [sic] my money.”

“How many hours did you have? I had 15 Hours played and got refunded on a manual process,” replied one. “[Steam support] said to me if I open another ticket about this they will close it without reading,” added this unhappy player who had failed to convince Steam of a refund despite several attempts.

The most successful requests seem to be via human checks, so players are still suggesting that those looking for a refund check the box to “request a refund,” but instead contact Steam via the “I have a question about this product” box. That way, your request will be routed to a member of customer support, and not an automated service.

19,576 backers pledged $3,271,809 on Kickstarter to help make Ashes of Creation a reality, the most ever raised on the platform for an MMO. Refunds via Kickstarter seem unlikely given the game launched in Early Access form.

Sony has highlighted the performance of PlayStation 5 exclusive Ghost of Yotei, insisting it outsold predecessor Ghost of Tsushima during the same period, and made a “significant” contribution to its financial results.

Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yotei went on sale October 2, 2025, and sold 3.3 million units as of November 2 (at the 32 day mark). Reporting its financials for the quarter ending December 31, 2025, Sony failed to provide an updated sales figure, but did highlight the game in its webcast, reviewed and transcribed by IGN.

“In the studio business, Ghost of Yotei, a tentpole title we released in October, exceeded the sales of the previous title in the same period of time and significantly contributed to the financial results of the quarter,” Lin Tao, Sony’s chief financial officer, said.

“Our established live service titles like Helldivers 2 and MLB The Show also contributed stable recurring revenue.”

The statement here is a little vague (we assume “same period of time” reflects each game’s first quarter on sale, which would be the first three months of availability), but Sony sounds happy with Ghost of Yotei either way. How exactly does it compare to Ghost of Tsushima? Ghost of Tsushima, which was initially released for PlayStation 4 on July 17, 2020, sold 2.4 million copies in its first three days, then hit 5 million after 118 days (just shy of four months). Latest sales figures provided by Sony show Ghost of Tsushima on 13 million copies sold, including sales of the PC and PS5 Director’s Cut, as of August 11, 2024.

We should consider that Ghost of Tsushima came out on the PS4, which in the summer of 2020 had a much bigger install base than the PS5 does today, and released into the stay-at-home gaming boom fueled by lockdowns. Ghost of Yotei also sold for $70, which means its dollar sales are greater compared to the cheaper Ghost of Tsushima, whose standard edition launched at $60.

Meanwhile, multiplayer add-on Ghost of Yotei: Legends comes out at some point this year, which will undoubtedly give Ghost of Yotei a shot in the arm. And we all know that Ghost of Yotei, like Ghost of Tsushima before it, will eventually launch on PC in Director’s Cut form. Perhaps there will even be a PS6 version, whenever that console rolls around.

While we wait to find out, check out IGN’s Ghost of Yotei review. We’ve also got a cool story about Atsu’s sword-drawing technique, which Japanese martial arts experts have said is kind of doable in real life.

Ready to master Ghost of Yotei? Check out our comprehensive guides, which cover everything from things to do first, best skills to unlock, advanced combat tips, getting the best early-game armor set, and uncovering every Altar of Reflection location. Our Walkthrough also provides essential tips and strategies for defeating every boss, and our secrets and easter eggs guide ensures you never miss another hidden reference again.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Overwatch 2 is officially ditching the “2” from its name. It’s all just Overwatch now as the game enters a “new, story-driven era” with a year-long narrative, 10 new heroes, and a major overhaul.

Announced today at the Overwatch Spotlight, Blizzard revealed its first year-long storyline, entitled “The Reign of Talon”. As it sounds, the plot is going to focus on the antagonistic faction Talon as it takes over around the world, while Overwatch continues to fight back. In-game events, hero trailers, animated comics, short stories, and map updates will tell a story across six seasons rolled out throughout the entire year, beginning with the launch of five new heroes on February 10 as Season 1 begins. On the Talon side, new heroes will include Domina (tank), Emre (damage), and Mizuki (support), and on Overwatch we’ll get Anran (damage) and Jetpack Cat (support). More heroes will join in the future, with a new hero added in each of Season 2-6 to come. A new story arc is planned to begin with another Season 1 in 2027.

Other updates include a new Meta Event called Conquest, where players choose to align with either Overwatch or Talon over five weeks to compete for rewards including lootboxes, skins, and titles. We’ll also be seeing a major UI and UX overhaul with a new hero lobby and a promise of faster navigation. And we’re also getting a Hello Kitty-themed in-game event from February 10-23.

Amid all of this, Blizzard is officially dropping the “2” from Overwatch 2, and referring to it going forward just as Overwatch. As a press release explains: “Overwatch is more than just a digit: it’s a living universe that keeps growing, keeps surprising, and keeps bringing players together from around the world. This year marks a huge turning point in how the development team envisions the future of Overwatch, so we are officially dropping ‘2’ and moving forward as ‘Overwatch’.”

The newly-dubbed “Overwatch” will also be getting an upgraded Nintendo Switch 2 edition in the spring (both the original Overwatch and Overwatch 2 are currently available on Nintendo Switch, and thus Switch 2, but do not have dedicated Switch 2 upgraded versions).

It’s no surprise that Blizzard might want to wipe the slate clean from the struggle that has been Overwatch 2. The sequel/revamp of 2016’s popular hero shooter Overwatch stumbled out of the gate, and while it saw a massive surge of players at the start, those numbers dropped in the following year. As time went on, user reviews complained about a number of issues such as monetization and controversies around the cancellation of the game’s long-awaited PvE Hero mode. The game has seen modes, features, and plans come and go over the years, and this isn’t even the first major overhaul Blizzard has announced. The fact remains that Overwatch 2 has never quite lived up to the hype levels of its predecessor, Overwatch, and this could be an attempt on Blizzard’s part to regain some of that glory – especially by focusing so much on story.

Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.