This is a segment from The Drop newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.
A day after I reported that Immutable’s about to drop some news about its game with Ubisoft, a press release has been published announcing the upcoming game.
The game will be an installment in the fantasy Might and Magic franchise called Might & Magic: Fates. It’ll be a trading card game (TCG), which also confirms what I reported yesterday.
Might and Magic is a series of retro roleplay games (RPGs) from New World Computing and 3DO that first released all the way back in 1986. Ubisoft bought the rights to Might and Magic for $1.3 million in 2003 when 3DO filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Over a dozen Might and Magic games have been released since the 80s, including official spinoff titles.
TCGs have been the most obvious genre for crypto game developers to build in because each card can be an NFT. Players can buy and collect digital cards as well as frames or special card backs for their decks.
Trading card games require fewer players to match up individuals in 1v1 matches (as opposed to massive battle royale games or team games, which can have much longer queue times). TCGs also don’t require players to be geographically close to each other for optimal gameplay, like fast-paced RPGs or shooters do.
TCGs can also make money — and can be made for less money than extensive 3D worlds like MMORPGs or shooter games. Ad firm Udonis estimates that Blizzard’s Hearthstone — arguably the most well-known TCG — has made over $900 million in total game revenue and makes millions of dollars per month (Key Banc Capital Markets said that number was $600 million annually in 2019).
Immutable reportedly made $110 million in 2024.
But the TCG market is also competitive, even in crypto, with Axie Infinity, Gods Unchained, Splinterlands, Parallel, and other titles already playable.
Immutable’s VP of Business Development Andrew Sorokovsky said in a post the Might and Magic TCG will use Immutable’s zkEVM chain, which also confirmed my reporting from Tuesday.
The press release states that there will be “hundreds” of cards featuring different creatures and characters.
Immutable cofounder Robbie Ferguson posted a minute-long teaser cinematic promoting the upcoming game, which features an armored skeleton brought to life with green magic.
More gameplay footage as well as preregistrations are expected “in the coming months.”
Ubisoft is also publishing a noncrypto prequel installment in the Might and Magic series, called Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era, that is expected to launch sometime this year.
Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:
- Blockworks Daily: Unpacking crypto and the markets.
- Empire: Crypto news and analysis to start your day.
- Forward Guidance: The intersection of crypto, macro and policy.
- 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox.
- Lightspeed: All things Solana.
- The Drop: Apps, games, memes and more.
- Supply Shock: Bitcoin, bitcoin, bitcoin.
