Ubisoft is shutting down its tactical role-playing game Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles on October 30, 2026, ending its most prominent experiment with blockchain integration after roughly two years. According to an official company announcement on the game’s website, the decision followed careful consideration, though the French publisher did not specify a reason for the closure. All in-game purchases have been disabled, but the title remains playable until the servers go offline.
The Rise and Fall of Ubisoft’s NFT Strategy
Released on October 23, 2024, for PC, Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles challenged players to build teams of three fantasy champions for turn-based PvP combat. The core differentiator from traditional strategy games was its reliance on digital collectibles minted on the Oasys blockchain. Players could buy, sell, and trade these champions on a marketplace, a system Ubisoft pitched as a way to grant users true ownership over their digital assets. Critics, however, viewed the mechanics as an attempt to introduce speculative cryptocurrency trading into mainstream gaming. Shortly after launch, individual champions were listed on the marketplace for prices reaching up to massive sums, though third-party verification of actual sales at those high marks remains limited.
Transition Away From Blockchain and Subsequent Closure
The winding down of the project began months before the final shutdown announcement. Ubisoft stated in May 2026 that it would strip Champions Tactics of its blockchain elements due to upcoming shifts in the underlying network infrastructure. On May 27, the company froze linked crypto wallets and permanently closed both the marketplace and the in-game “Forge.” Existing NFT champions were converted into standard, non-tradeable in-game items to preserve functionality. The game briefly operated as a conventional free-to-play title before succumbing to low player numbers. A Steam port released in 2025 under the title Champions Tactics: Reforged failed to attract a sustainable audience, leading to the removal of its Steam store page in June 2026.
Broader Corporate Context and Future Projects
The termination marks another roadblock for Ubisoft’s digital asset initiatives, following the controversial 2021 launch of Ubisoft Quartz NFTs in Ghost Recon Breakpoint, which also faced severe backlash and a swift shutdown. Despite these setbacks, Ubisoft is not entirely abandoning blockchain gaming. In February 2026, the publisher partnered with blockchain firm Immutable to release Might & Magic Fates, a free-to-play digital card game that similarly incorporates trading elements. Steam reviews for Might & Magic Fates currently sit at an “ausgeglichen” (balanced) rating, with roughly 52 percent of numerous reviews recommending the title. To soften the blow for the closing game, Ubisoft announced that high-performing players from Champions Tactics will receive complimentary rewards in Might & Magic Fates as part of the transition plan.
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