Ubisoft delays HOMMV

By Ellie Gibson Published 30 January, 2006

Have the beta testers won?

Less than a week after Ubisoft launched the beta test for forthcoming PC title Heroes of Might and Magic V, it's been announced that the game will no longer get a March release as planned.

According to US website GameSpot, the delay was not known about before the beta test kicked off. A new release date is expected to be announced later this week.

The news will no doubt please the HOMM fans who set up SaveHeroes.org - an online petition aimed at delaying the game's release.

Unfortunately the site appears to be down at the moment, but those who visited earlier will have been greeted with the message: "All of the undersigned wish to see Heroes of Might and Magic [V] as the title that reinvents the series, the title that brings glory back to the Heroes of Might and Magic name.

"All wish to see more releases in this new world that Ubisoft has created for Might and Magic. However, we also feel that, should you release the game on its currently scheduled release date, all of our dreams will be shattered."

The petition went on to encourage Ubisoft to delay the game: "Pushing back the release date even one month will provide many benefits, most of which will in turn equate to increased long-term profits for Ubisoft, and increased longevity for the Heroes series."

So, has Ubisoft heard the fans' pleas and taken the decision to delay the game accordingly? The publisher has yet to respond to requests for comment, but we'll keep you posted. [Call me a cynic but I doubt it... - Ed]

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (14) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • quantumsheep #1 6 years ago

    You cynic!

  • space_ace #2 6 years ago

    i'm a professional cynic, but my heart's not in it
    so i paid the price of living life at the limit

  • smoison #3 6 years ago

    This would be a first....

  • Kami #4 6 years ago

    From what I hear, there are supposedly quite serious issues with the open beta/live demo.

    An extra month or two probably isn't going to change that...

  • Pirotic #5 6 years ago

    The beta is very good but is very unbalanced and the client crashs so often its simply unplayable, an extra month or two in development is a smart decision as you can tell a good game is under all the flaws.

    Kami - you'd be amazed what you can do in a month! as anybody who played the preview build of Forza will agree with.. still can't comprehend how the hell they turned that around in a month, they must of worked 23 hours a day.

  • Kami #6 6 years ago

    disc - You mean like Evil Arts? */coat*

    Pirotic - I'm consistantly amazed at a lot of things. But if the fans aren't happy, then it's going to need as you said - almost 23 hours of work a day for the next month or two.

    It's good to see the fans are being vocal though. And that there's something happening. Perhaps SOE can learn a thing or two from this...

  • Talk_Show_Host #7 6 years ago

    Thank God they heard the beta testers and not the previews of the "professional" gaming sites... Eurogamer included...

  • Pho-Zoon #8 6 years ago

    I'm surprised no one's picked up on space age's Blur quote...

    p.s. Tenth post!

  • Drakron #9 6 years ago

    Morning Glory ...

  • marilena #10 6 years ago

    disc, you're wrong, I'd say. First, HOMM is a somewhat hardcore series, not in the sense that it's hard or anything, but in the sense that it's not for very casual gamers, it's for the more informed kind. These people will be put off by bad press and word of mouth. Second, even if the game sells on the strength of the name, add-ons and sequels will face a grim fate if the people that buy the game are dissapointed by it. So, I'd say it's financally a good decision to try to make it good.

    I feel almost guilty for not jumping on the beta as soon as it came up, I'm a pretty big fan of the series, but I'm trying not to spoil it by seeing the game in an unfinished state. Still, I'm optimistic, me. I could never get the hang of the whole cynicism thing, even though I tried in order to fit in with the EG crowd.
    Edited by 1 at 31/01/06 @ 07:38

  • Commodore75 #11 6 years ago

    Kami - Make no mistake, there were a lot of fans who thought everyone should just shut up and stand by their game, no matter what.
    There were a lot of childish behavior from all sides (at least from the sides that said anything). Hopefully the devs (Nival is it?) will be given the time to do this right, 'cause the game deservs it, as does the fans, and I think I'll love this game if they just get rid of all the bugs.

    marilena - Is this the marilena I think it is?

  • marilena #12 6 years ago

    I don't know, what marilena do you think I am? Your nickname doesn't ring any bells.

    (And, err, just in case I acually am who you think I am, can you be skimpy on details, please? Like, say almost nothing at all, just enough for me to find out if you're right? Protecting my privacy and all that.)

  • Commodore75 #13 6 years ago

    marilena - OK then I don't think I'm on the right track. The person I was thinking about was very active in the HoMM scene. My bad.

  • marilena #14 6 years ago

    Nope, not me then. I was a member of the Celestial Heavens forum for a while, but that's about it and I wasn't very active anyway.