admin Strategy games are a moreish delicacy, and Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is what you get when a connoisseur enters the kitchen. The nostalgic yet refined throwback to the strategy series’ classic entries is a labor of love for developer Unfrozen, and if I didn’t know that from playing 20 hours of its mammoth demo, I’d have gleaned as much from the impressive array of Heroes memorabilia displayed behind CEO Denis Federov.
“It’s sacred for many, many people in this world,” he says of the honor he feels in spearheading the newest instalment in one of his favorite strategy franchises of all time. “It’s a great pleasure, but at the same time, obviously, a great responsibility.”
The Heroes franchise has had a tricky few years under lead publisher Ubisoft. Multiple format and naming convention changes later, however, Olden Era seeks to remind us of Heroes’ roots. That makes Federov’s mission statement simple yet profound: “We are trying to reproduce and carefully improve the magic of all past games.”
Big Preview
This week we’re exploring the revival of an iconic strategy series. Stick around for more exclusive access to Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era, from hands-on previews to new developer interviews.
He’s been a fan of Heroes since the days of King’s Bounty, largely considered a precursor to Heroes of Might and Magic itself, and though the dev team is a fan of the franchise as a whole, his heart lies with Heroes 2 and 3. Which makes sense, given that Olden Era homages them most of all.
I ask if the name Olden Era intentionally sounds like “golden era,” suggesting the peak of the franchise to be those two instalments respectively. It’s not that deep, it turns out, but it is a happy coincidence. “The name reflects our attention to the basic gameplay loop, which we do think is still pretty solid and pretty good in terms of replayability, in terms of the overall interest of the player base,” he says. “That’s the foundation. And we want to build from the beginning.”
Tale as old as time
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is not a remaster or a remake. That, Federov makes abundantly clear. But he cites the words of another strategy game icon when I ask how Unfrozen approached this decades-long legacy in the first place. Where do you even start?
“The components of a good sequel are one third old stuff, one third improvements, and one third something new,” Federov says, paraphrasing Civilization creator Sid Meyer. It seems this is Olden Era’s philosophy in a nutshell.
The push to deepen RPG elements, like character leveling and the Faction law points system, are two such examples. Not only do these exist “to give the player more freedom” in crafting a unique build for heroes and their armies, Federov points out how the law system in particular helps flesh out the identity of the Factions as discrete entities.
Of course the mystical fey of Sylvan don’t look like Schism’s interplanar dark elves, but since different laws pertain to different factions, it builds a mechanical distinction atop the visual one. This is bolstered by how each Faction has unique structures that can only be built in their cities. For example, Hive – one of the two new Factions coming in Early Access – awards visiting heroes two permanent attack points, while Necropolis has a building that lets you transmute creatures of other Factions into a similar-leveled Necropolis creature of its own.
Paired with creature perks to synergize with overall Faction perks, it’s easy to carve out archetypal playstyles for each Faction. Sylvanian armies are all about boosting Focus points in combat, Necropolis creatures can leech health from enemies, Hive lets you lay some bug eggs on the battlefield to generate stacks of insectoid creatures on the fly (pun intended), and so on. According to Federov, the aim is to “make something which is upscaled but foundational at the same time,” always building on the core of Heroes to make it more involved than ever.
Matter over mind
A key factor of that is, of course, the multiplayer experience. Federov describes competitive strategy as “a separate culture” now, a far cry from the days of LAN parties he remembers in the early ’90s. Modern games have modern expectations of how online multiplayer should work, and even as someone who prefers the sound of local “hot seat” multiplayer mode, I’m impressed by Unfrozen’s broad vision.
According to Federov, some players have spent 200 hours or more in the demo already, which makes my humble 20 sound like rookie numbers. “It’s amazing, and that’s because the random map generator gives you an incredible, probably unlimited amount of replayability. You can spend tens of hundreds of hours playing on different templates and you don’t get bored. So our multiplayer is also built around this randomly generated map.”
I had a glimpse at some of these modes during my recent hands-on with the newest build. One sees resources in short supply as a consequence of a map-wide disaster, another involves hunting down Pandora’s boxes… I scrolled and scrolled for ages, and there’s no shortage of pre-made templates to explore.
This expansive approach to game modes applies to the game’s multiplayer aspects, too. Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era will have three online multiplayer modes, each with its own matchmaking system.
“We did a lot of interviews with different programmers, streamers, multiplayer fans, tournament organizers and such, and asked them what they would need,” says Federov. It helps that the Unfrozen team is made up of strategy game champions who have reigned high on tournament leaderboards for years, giving the developer a natural understanding of modern competitive gaming.
“There will be a separate ranking system [for each mode]. So you will be matched, not just with the ones who are close to you and will have better a ping with you, but with the ones who have the same level of skill.” He likens it to how matchmaking works in games like Starcraft, asserting that catering to casual as well as competitive players is of prime importance. “You will also be able to create custom games with your friends and play against them with literally any kind of conditions, whatever you like.”
A journey with no bounds
Looking ahead to Olden Era’s Early Access release – the date of which has yet to be set – Federov is optimistic about what else could follow. Including, potentially, a console launch on PS5 or Xbox Series X.
“There is no reason to not spread the game if it’s successful,” Federov says when I ask whether he thinks Olden Era could succeed on console, too. “If it fits with the expectation of the audience, there is no reason to hold it on PC. I cannot promise you any other platforms at the moment, and it’s a big question for the publishers as well.” Early Access Steam games, understandably, seem far easier for developers to work with than console platforms.
“You will also be able to create custom games with your friends and play against them with literally any kind of conditions…”
Denis Federov, CEO
“When you work on one or two builds at the same time, not on five or 10, you can focus on that. You can focus on fixing stuff and growing the game with the community.” He also mentions the added stressor of remapping controls for controllers, not to mention the need to reformat the UI. “And this is what we’re probably going to do later, after Early Access.”
It all links back to the immense responsibility of making a Heroes game, and Federov’s personal relationship with the franchise gives him the unique privilege of seeing Olden Era as both a player and a developer.
“You feel this power in your hands, and you’re moving armies, moving heroes, moving creatures, characters, and so on. But at the same time, for me, the thinking [aspect] is important,” he says of why the genre has been enduringly popular decade after decade. “Whether you’re against an AI opponent or against other people in PvP, it’s a great feeling of satisfaction to feel that you overcame something – overcame yourself, overcame some obstacles against you. This is what makes the games fun.”
Ultimately, that’s the thing that drives Federov and the team at Unfrozen forward: a deep love of strategy games and the people who play them. “We have pro gamers on the team, just playing on an incredibly high level, but we cannot build the game for them [alone]. It’s just suicide. We’re trying to satisfy everyone, and casual players are obviously a priority,” he says to wrap up. “After all: Heroes is for everyone.”
Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era is coming to PC in 2026, published by Hooded Horse and developed by Unfrozen.
