Ubisoft created an unusual situation by relaunching the classic Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on the Steam platform. This strategy title, dating back to 1999, was made available without the essential files for players to run it.
The launch occurred after Ubisoft revealed the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake during the Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live on August 25. As part of this promotion, the company put the original title on sale on Steam for US$ 10.
However, consumers who purchased the game in the first few hours found an extremely small download file, only 23.49 KB. When trying to start the game, users were confronted with an error message regarding a 'Dummy executable,' indicating that the initial version on Steam lacked the actual game files.
This problem quickly spread among buyers and negatively impacted the ratings of Heroes of Might and Magic 3 on the platform. The game was classified as 'Mostly Negative' on Steam, while players reported being unable to access the purchased content.
The controversy gained even more attention because it happened concurrently with the franchise news presented at Gamescom. On the day following the launch, August 26, the developers confirmed that they had investigated the incident and implemented the necessary fix.
In a statement released on social media, the team thanked players for their feedback and patience during the resolution process, while also apologizing for the inconvenience caused. According to user reports, about 11 hours after the launch, an update of approximately 770 MB was released, containing the crucial files for running the game.
With the correction applied, Heroes of Might and Magic 3 began operating normally, and its rating on Steam was raised to 'Mixed.' This relaunch coincides with the announcement of the Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Remake, presented by Ubisoft at the Gamescom 2026 Opening Night Live. The new version is scheduled for release in 2027, allowing players to revisit the original 1999 title on Steam, now with the complete game available for download.