Key Takeaways
- Might & Magic: Fates will be free-to-play with an optional NFT card marketplace.
- Ubisoft’s 2024 performance has yielded internal issues, mass layoffs, and studio closures.
- Might & Magic: Fates is slated for launch on iOS and Android in early 2026.
Ubisoft is dusting off one of its oldest franchises, but instead of a classic RPG revival, Might & Magic is returning as a Web3 trading card game.
The new title, Might & Magic: Fates, is being developed in partnership with Immutable, the Web3 gaming infrastructure firm behind projects like Gods Unchained and Guild of Guardians.
However, the game’s future is already in doubt as Ubisoft’s reputation in gaming and Web3 falls under increasing scrutiny.
A Familiar Format With a Web3 Twist
Might & Magic: Fates will follow the tried-and-true trading card game format, featuring fast-paced, strategy-driven battles.
While exact gameplay details are sparse, the setup echoes previous entries like Duel of Champions, with potential inspiration from Hearthstone and Magic: The Gathering.
Cards will be issued as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on Immutable, allowing players to trade them through external marketplaces.
Ubisoft explicitly states that the Web3 features provide “no competitive advantage and are entirely optional,” adding that “all players” can relish the full experience of the game and “compete at the highest level” without once using the Web3 features.
In the announcement, Ubisoft speaks rather directly to those concerned that it will be a pay-to-win game, much like many other trading card games and Web3 NFT projects.
The publisher states that the game is “designed to offer a competitive experience where victory is earned through skill, not spending.”
A Tough Sell for Ubisoft
Timing might be Fates’ biggest problem.
Ubisoft is fresh off a turbulent 2024, marked by canceled projects, studio closures, and multiple rounds of layoffs. A string of underwhelming releases has also eroded trust with both players and investors.
In an effort to stay afloat, the company recently sold 25% of a new subsidiary to Chinese tech giant Tencent for $1.25 billion.
Its reputation in Web3 isn’t much better.
Ubisoft’s first major NFT experiment, Quartz, launched in 2021 and flopped almost instantly, largely due to backlash over its integration into Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.
Its most recent NFT RPG, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, also struggled to gain traction after a short-lived spike in interest. Initially pulling around 25,000 players, the game has since seen declining players and interest.
Community Skepticism
The trailer for Fates has been met with muted interest at best. Dislike counts outpace likes, and social media reactions have been dominated by skepticism. Many fans still associate Ubisoft’s NFT experiments with cash grabs and unfinished ideas.
Even though the company is promising a fair, skill-based card game, it’s entering a space where Web3 gaming has yet to shake off its stigma—and where Ubisoft itself has much to prove.
For now, Might & Magic: Fates is shaping to be a high-stakes gamble: a blockchain revival of a classic franchise from a publisher trying to regain trust on multiple fronts.
Eddie is a gaming and crypto writer at CCN. Covering the often weird and wonderful world of Web3 with an adoring, but skeptical eye.
Prior to CCN, Eddie has spent the past seven years working his way through the crypto, finance, and technology industry. He began with PR and journalism with Bitcoin PR Buzz and BitcoinNews.com, eventually working his way to become a copywriter with a dozen firms, including the likes of Polkadot before returning to journalism in 2023.
Having studied Radio production and journalism at University in the UK, Eddie spent a few years making podcasts and presenting on a local London radio station as he built up his writing chops.
A lifelong skateboarder, Eddie can often be found at the skatepark or touring the streets looking for something new to try. That, or kicking back playing JRPGs on his original PSP.
