New Details Emerge in Steven Sharif's Lawsuit Against Ashes of Creation Board of Directors
A new chapter has unfolded in the saga of Ashes of Creation's collapse and the subsequent mass layoffs (conducted without the mandatory WARN Act notification). Following his announcement on Discord about an upcoming public legal proceeding, the game's Creative Director, Steven Sharif, has filed a lawsuit against members of Intrepid's board of directors and the company TFE Games, which allegedly seized assets through a murky scheme. The suit details the board's actions, which Sharif claims led to his and other senior executives' resignations in protest.
The lawsuit, Sharif v. Dawson, Ogden, Fette, Bartles, TFE Games Holdings LLC, alleges that "the defendant board members intentionally sabotaged Intrepid to steal its assets, including its most valuable ones: intellectual property and trade secrets." Sharif asserts that a group of board members "devised and executed a plan to strip Intrepid of its assets and transfer those assets to a Dawson-created and controlled organization (TFE), of which they are also likely members, and to unlawfully appropriate and claim ownership of Intrepid's intellectual property, trade secrets, and other assets."
According to the lawsuit, all of this was allegedly done to leave the company saddled with outstanding debts and to collapse Intrepid, while consolidating development and profits—up to the potential sale of source code and trade secrets—under TFE's control. This followed an attempt to pressure Intrepid into creating a scenario that would lead to asset forfeiture. In other words, this is not merely an acquisition but appears to be an attempt to strip the company of its value for the benefit of a new organization controlled by the board.
Sharif claims he objected to these actions and warned a senior creditor about the alleged scheme, which made the defendants realize their plan would not work. Consequently, Sharif's lawsuit states that "they suddenly and wrongfully terminated nearly all of Intrepid's staff." Part of the lawsuit's argument is that the trade secrets hold significant value.
The board is accused of pushing for the game's rapid launch into Steam Early Access "against the advice of Sharif and other senior executives," a decision made on December 11, 2025.
The filing also includes allegations of defamation. Specifically, it claims that in response to the company's collapse and mass layoffs, the board launched a defamatory campaign against Sharif. This campaign allegedly included disseminating extremely negative materials, such as "intentionally providing false corporate information listing the plaintiff as the sole board member," which was not true. These statements, aimed at making Sharif the face of the failures, were based on various claims about information leaks, fraud, and accusations of deception. Sharif states that these statements were widely circulated, leading to threats, including death threats, and consequently, to fear.
As a result of the various claims in the lawsuit, Sharif is seeking to block the sale of AoC's intellectual property and trade secrets, have them returned to Intrepid, have all debt collection claims declared invalid, and receive various compensations and damages.