A YouTube report claims Intrepid Studios' former CEO Steven Sharif misused $3.2 million in Kickstarter funds raised for the MMORPG Ashes of Creation. The allegations detail spending on personal luxuries including a private chef and trading cards. The claims stem from the company's general ledger, amid an ongoing legal battle.
Intrepid Studios' MMORPG Ashes of Creation, which raised $3.2 million on Kickstarter, was removed from Steam in February. Investors have since engaged in a public legal dispute with former CEO Steven Sharif and the studio's board. A detailed report by the YouTube channel NefasQS, published on April 11, analyzes the company's general ledger from 2015 to 2026, alleging financial mismanagement bordering on collapse at several points. NefasQS published the ledger alongside the video, which has faced takedown attempts including a privacy complaint and reports on the creator's Reddit account, both of which they plan to dispute. The report accuses Sharif and his husband John Moore of diverting funds to a lavish lifestyle. Specific expenditures include payments to a personal chef who worked privately for the couple, $41,717 to auction sites for historical curios, $421.91 to a luxury cigar retailer, and tens of thousands to stores for trading card games and miniature figurines. Most notably, $81,166 went to Gore Oil Company, the deed owner of the couple's San Diego mansion purchased for $4.9 million on April 11, 2020. Sharif's last public statements came in March. On March 6, he celebrated a legal victory over the board in the United States District Court of Southern California via the game's Discord server. He added a flexing arm emoji on March 19 and stated he would defend himself only in court, where evidence determines outcomes. Neither Sharif nor Intrepid Studios has responded to the latest allegations.
