Champions Tactics Closes as Ubisoft Quits NFT Gamble

French video game publisher Ubisoft has officially announced the shutdown of its Web3 and NFT (non-fungible token)-based game Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, bringing months of speculation to an end. According to a report by Kotaku, the announcement was made through the game's official Discord server.

The company said it had made the difficult decision after careful consideration, confirming that the game's servers will be permanently shut down on 30 October.

NFT Hype Fades as the Game Ends

Although Champions Tactics maintained a dedicated community of players, many had anticipated the shutdown for some time. In May, Ubisoft announced that it would remove the game's Web3 functionality, a move widely seen as signalling the beginning of the end.

The game's primary attraction was its battle units, which could be bought and sold as NFTs on blockchain marketplaces using digital currencies.

Ironically, Champions Tactics was released in 2024, well after the peak of the NFT boom. NFT popularity had reached its height in 2021 before declining sharply throughout 2022. Ubisoft's decision to launch an NFT-focused game nearly three years after high-profile NFT promotions involving celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Jimmy Fallon had already faded surprised many industry observers.

Focus Shifts to a New Blockchain Game

Despite ending Champions Tactics, Ubisoft has not abandoned its blockchain gaming ambitions. The company is now attempting to migrate existing players to another title, Might & Magic Fates, by offering various in-game rewards.

The new game is a digital card battler similar to Hearthstone, where players will be able to buy, sell, and trade digital cards using either traditional currency or cryptocurrency.

//DBTech/BMT/OR//