Ubisoft's recent re-release of the original Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on Steam encountered significant launch problems, with players discovering that the game files were not included in the initial download. The turn-based strategy classic was made available on Steam alongside its two expansions for $10.
Upon purchasing and installing the game, users found that the "game" was only 23.49KB in size. Further investigation revealed that the actual game files were absent. Many players reported that attempting to launch the game resulted in a command prompt window displaying the message "Dummy executable ensure that you are on the right Steam branch." This oversight led to a wave of negative user reviews on Steam.
The issue was reportedly fixed, with the game files being added approximately 11 hours after the initial launch. The majority of the negative Steam reviews for the re-release are directly related to this omission. In response to the problems, some users have recommended purchasing Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete from GOG, which was on sale for $5.
Ubisoft has not yet issued a statement or explanation regarding the mix-up. The company is preparing to release a full remake of Heroes of Might and Magic 3 next year, which is planned to feature updated 4K visuals, the original campaign, and both expansions, presented as a unified story with new narrative elements.