Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake Announcement
What Ubisoft put on stage at Opening Night Live, and what the first blogs added after.
On 25 August 2026, during gamescom Opening Night Live, Ubisoft revealed Heroes of Might and Magic III Remake. The pitch was simple on purpose: rebuild the most loved Heroes title in 3D, keep the gameplay, ship both expansions, and respect twenty-five years of community maps. This page is the recap you can send to a friend who only saw a thumbnail.
Who is making it
Development sits with Ubisoft’s Chengdu and Shanghai studios, under Xavier Poix, senior vice president. Dualshockers reported that members of the original 1999 team are involved. That matters to veterans who still remember how other remakes treated their designers. It is not a guarantee of a specific camera height. It is a signal that the project is allowed to say “no” to reinventing the skill wheel.
The engine is Snowdrop, the same family as several modern Ubisoft productions. The visual list is 4K, dynamic lighting, real-time weather, shifting seasons, free camera, and rebuilt towns and battlefields. Audio gets voice, layered music, and new cues for combat, spells, and morale. Community reaction split immediately on unit models and on whether Paul Romero’s score would remain the soul of the game. Those arguments belong in the preview roundup. This page records the claim: nostalgia and modernity in a “delicate balance.”
What is in the box
- Restoration of Erathia, Armageddon’s Blade, The Shadow of Death.
- All nine factions, including Conflux.
- A new prologue campaign and new cinematics, with the old campaigns presented as one saga.
- Online play up to eight, matchmaking, simultaneous turns, Hot Seat.
- Random map generator.
- Map editor, campaign editor, in-game UGC hub, original map import, mod.io.
That list is why the remake is not HD Edition. HD Edition was Restoration only. This product is the complete 1999-plus-expansions ruleset in a new client. Details live in the campaign guide and the map editor guide.
What the first Steam blog added
Ubisoft’s “Welcome Back to Erathia” post framed two commitments: a complete content experience, and gameplay authenticity around the three pillars of adventure map, tactical combat, and town management. Quality-of-life exists to cut friction, not to replace those pillars. The same post restated that Olden Era is a different game with new stories, and that the remake is not intended to replace the original client. Alongside the announcement, Ubisoft listed the 1999 Complete Edition on Steam — after a botched first package that had to be corrected. That comedy is not the remake’s launch. Do not confuse the two store pages.
What happens next
More blogs were promised on visuals, UX, UGC, and technical topics. Wishlist on Steam (app 3809850), Ubisoft Store, and Epic. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series are part of the same 2027 window. Ubisoft+ is promised as an access path. Price and a day-month are still blank. The release page tracks those blanks. The remake versus original page tracks the design argument.
If you are here because the trailer looked like a different genre, watch the gameplay overview on how to play. The premiere clip on this page is the cinematic sell. The game underneath is still mines, Mondays, and hexes. The next useful document is not another reaction video. It is the first technical blog Ubisoft already promised, which should land on the Steam news hub and then be summarised here and on the updates hub. Until that post exists, treat every extra “feature” you see in a comment thread as unconfirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for new commanders and returning veterans.
When was the remake announced?
25 August 2026 at gamescom Opening Night Live, with a 2027 launch window.
Which studios are developing it?
Ubisoft Chengdu and Shanghai, with franchise leadership from Xavier Poix.
Is this a live-service announcement?
No. It is a premium remake of a complete boxed campaign plus multiplayer and editors.