Ubisoft’s NFT tactics game, a thing that still exists, is shutting down in October
Ubisoft’s Champions Tactics: Grimoria Chronicles, a blockchain-based tactics game, will shut down in October 2024. The game launched in 2024 as one of two NFT games Ubisoft published that year, arriving late to the Web3 gaming trend even as most of the technology industry had already moved on to new priorities like AI.
The game originally featured NFT functionality integrated into its gameplay and monetization model. In May 2024, Ubisoft removed Web3 elements from the title, attempting to reposition it as a traditional tactics game and salvage its player base. This pivot, however, failed to reverse the game’s declining fortunes, leading to the decision to cease operations.
The shutdown exemplifies the broader collapse of NFT gaming as a viable business model. Despite earlier industry hype around blockchain-based games, most such titles have struggled to maintain meaningful player engagement or profitability. Champions Tactics joins a growing list of failed blockchain gaming experiments that failed to deliver on promises or sustain long-term player communities.
The October closure represents another casualty in the ongoing contraction of live-service games, particularly those reliant on speculative monetization models like NFTs.