Cove Expansion - Announcement of Ubisoft x Archon Studio x HOTA Crew Cooperation

Skirmishes with Regnan Fleets…

There is no doubt that the island of Regna and the pirates ruling it are part of the "Heroes III" canon. At the very beginning of the game - in a cutscene - Queen Catherine, returning from Enroth to Erathia, alludes to "skirmishes with Regnan fleets." It is also impossible to omit Sir Christian's "strongly pirate-themed" campaign from the "Armageddon's Blade" expansion - "Foolhardy Waywardness." Apart from this, pirates were not added to the game, even as neutral units. However, we had the opportunity to visit Regna and interact with the pirates in the cRPG "Might and Magic VIII." So the source material has always existed…

We are Sailing to Regna…

As fans of the world of Enroth, we wanted to add Regnan pirates to the board game. We announced our intention to develop and release the “Cove” expansion for “Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game” during the original Kickstarter campaign in 2022. We had the official source material in mind (mainly "Might and Magic VIII")...

…For the Horn of the Abyss!

Of course, we know of and appreciate the "Horn of the Abyss" mod, which enjoys well-deserved respect among the fandom, and added a tenth playable town to "Heroes of Might and Magic III"—Cove. In 2022, however, relying on this version as source material seemed unlikely to us.

When the schedule called for us to start working on Cove, we turned to Might and Magic Brand Director Eric Damian-Vernet and Narrative Director Vicky Malineau regarding the source material. Eric took the initiative to contact the HOTA Crew and try to bring their version of Cove to the tabletop! The talks were successful, so I think this is an excellent occasion to thank Eric for this initiative and for bringing it to this point. All of us - the brand owner, Archon Studio as the licensee, and the HOTA Crew - have the goal of providing fans with a version of Cove that they love and expect.

From The Fans To The Fans

As the original proposer of the "Cove" expansion in "Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Board Game," I am extremely happy to announce that we will be creating this expansion in close cooperation with the HOTA Crew, and basing the expansion on their materials! The HOTA Crew have declared that just like their mod, this expansion for the board game remains a completely non-profit project for them.

You can have a look at the first effects of this tripartite cooperation - Below, is the Haspid, drawn by Viviane Tybusch Souza, the Lead Artist for the project at Archon Studio. The artwork was consulted with the HOTA Crew artists and the Narrative Director for Might and Magic at Ubisoft.

Get ready for more top-notch materials! We have the seas of Enroth to conquer!

What Can You Expect?

Certainly, another box full of treasures to further enrich the gameplay. The art for the expansion already looks very promising! The contents of the box will be similar to the previous expansions from Heroes of Might & Magic: The Board Game. You can expect to see several iconic heroes from the Cove faction as well as Two-sided faction unit cards with holographic effects on the reinforced side. Additionally, a new epic town board with new building abilities will be introduced. New astrologer cards will be added, thematically linked directly to the new mechanics and tiles. In this expansion, you'll have the opportunity to board a ship and visit maritime locations! Additionally, you can expect iconic artifacts straight from the Horn of the Abyss mod. Amidst the high-quality components you’ve come to expect, there will be new spells and a new component that will make gameplay much clearer and simpler.