Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos Announced
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First of all, let us all be reminded that it's not Heroes of Might and Magic anymore, but Might & Magic Heroes. Now that we're up to date with the intricacies of branding, we can sit down and appreciate the fact that the next Heroes game, Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos, is going to be a card game for mobile platforms, created exclusively for China. A great way to bounce back after the mediocre Heroes VII, if you ask me.
Ubisoft, the current owners of the license, have partnered with Tencent and PlayCrab to bring the beloved franchise to a new market. Here are a few paragraphs from the official blog post:
Ubisoft is expanding into China in a big way with the upcoming release of Might & Magic Heroes: Era of Chaos, a mobile game created exclusively for China. Developed by Playcrab and published by Tencent, Era of Chaos transforms the classic gameplay of Might & Magic Heroes into a strategy card game tailored to the tastes of Chinese players. Slated for a June release on iOS and Android, the game’s arrival marks an important step for Ubisoft as it expands into the dynamic, intensely competitive Chinese mobile market.
“Playcrab was among the first studios we selected based on this strategy,” says Aurelien Palasse, head of licensing and publishing at Ubisoft Mobile China. “First, they had an impressive track record of high quality and commercially successful mobile games. Then they really convinced us all by showing a genuine passion and enticing vision for the Might & Magic franchise.”
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Success in the Chinese mobile arena, Palasse explains, requires a drastically different approach from North America or Europe. Tastes in everything from gameplay to monetization differ immensely, and it’s essential to quickly and continually deliver original content, events, and messages to keep players engaged.
“For instance, any game in China, even the most casual ones, must offer a wide array of chat, social features and PvP modes, while in the West many games can do well without any of these,” Palasse says. “It is truly frenetic, and incomparable to the way we do things ‘in the West’. The point is that there is clearly a very local expertise that one needs in order to launch a successful product in China, so we need to be there locally, to connect and develop strong business relationships with top developers and publishers who will help us grow as a brand and company in China.”
Might & Magic Heroes in particular has an edge, however, in that the franchise already has a following in China.
“Chinese players are very fond of retro IP from the ’90s and ’00s, such as King of Fighters 98,” Palasse says. “We are fortunate to have one of these incredibly popular retro, cult IPs in our portfolio with Might & Magic Heroes. Heroes III in particular is considered a legendary installment, and a whole generation of gamers have grown up with it and still have fond memories, which is why Tencent was eager to publish Era of Chaos.”
What an innovative way to honor the love for Heroes III.
