It’s no secret that Ubisoft has been experimenting with NFTs and blockchain tech. From its early Ghost Recon NFTs to releasing NFTs based on its quirky Rabbids IP and Assassin’s Creed “smart collectibles,” Ubisoft has continued to explore blockchain gaming. Now, there’s Champions Tactics.
Champions Tactics marks a new chapter in Ubisoft’s crypto plans. It’s the studio’s first original Web3 game—meaning that it’s being developed from scratch with NFTs front and center.
Here’s everything you need to know about Ubisoft’s upcoming role-playing game (RPG).
What is Champions Tactics?
Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles was first announced in late June 2023. Billed as a player-versus-player tactical RPG, Champions Tactics has been marketed with a gothic dark fantasy aesthetic and has figurine-like characters.
How does Champions Tactics use NFTs and blockchain?
Champions Tactics released Ethereum NFTs called Warlords that act as PFP NFTs for collectors. Warlords NFT art can be applied to the collector’s in-game profile to customize it.
Warlords NFT collectors will be granted early access to buy up to five of the game’s playable NFT characters known as Champions for free. So Ubisoft will be releasing the game’ characters as collectible NFTs (the Champions) and also offering in-game profile avatars as NFTs (the Warlords).
The game itself will use the Oasys blockchain. Oasys is a gaming-centric chain that has won favor by traditional video game publishers including Sega, Bandai Namco, Com2uS, and more.
What are the Warlords NFTs?
Ubisoft released the Warlords collection as a free Ethereum NFT mint in December 2023. The NFTs, which depict pixelated fantasy characters, were all claimed within about 20 minutes.
A total of 9,999 Warlords NFTs were ultimately created, with 8,000 given out during that mint, another 1,000 saved for the Oasys community, and 999 further NFTs saved by Ubisoft for marketing efforts such as giveaways.
As of this writing in February 2024, the NFTs start at nearly $400 worth of Ethereum on secondary marketplaces. The collection has yielded about $4.5 million worth of trades so far, per data from CryptoSlam.
What is Grimoria?
Grimoria is the name of the game world in Champions Tactics. Grimoria is ruled by seven different factions, each of which have Warlords as members. These factions have different traits and are often engaged in “power struggles” against each other, according to a page that introduces Champions Tactics’ lore.
The seven different factions in Grimoria are the Thunderstone Corporation, the Cult of Eternity, the Empire of Brallmeran, the Guardians of Grimoria, the Kingdom of Toriel, the Tribes, and the Undying Dominion. Each of these factions is represented by a different leader and has adopted a unique aesthetic, from the Undying’s medieval zombie-like Lord Croimont to the demonic Brallmeran sword-wielder, Prince Ezrin.
Characters and gameplay
The characters will resemble tabletop game playable figurines, each with different battle skills to use. Players will have to select three Champions per match to fight opponents in the PVP Champion battles.
Players will also be able to create their own Champions, according to Ubisoft. The studio also claimed in a statement that the game is skill-based, not chance-based, so players will have to use some strategy to select which Champions to deploy in battle.
When will Champions Tactics be released?
Champions Tactics will be released as a PC application sometime in 2024, per the game’s website. It previously suggested an "early 2024" window, so the release timeline may have shifted. Ubisoft showed off a playable demo in public for the first time at the NFT Paris conference in February 2024, so the game could be nearing a proper rollout.
The publisher also announced in February that it is working with crypto gaming analytics startup Helika, using its various tools (including some powered by AI) to help launch and support Champions Tactics. Helika has worked with various crypto startups, such as Yuga Labs and Pudgy Penguins.
Editor's note: This story was originally published on November 10, 2023 and last updated with new details on February 27, 2024.