Heroes of Might and Magic MMO Announced

In yet another attempt to bring about the end of the World...of Warcraft, Ubisoft has announced an MMO version of the popular Heroes of Might and Magic series. Gameplay is to be based off of Heroes V and beta testing is already set to begin in May so it shouldn't be too long before launch. Will this be the next big thing in MMO gaming? My prediction (not really going out on too much of a limb here): it will gain a modest following (much like most installments of the series) but won't come close to generating the numbers WoW has. The brand is a solid one but has never achieved true greatness (Game Rankings scores have averaged in the 70s and 80s - good but not amazing), and being under Ubisoft's license will only hurt the game. There has been too much backlash recently regarding Ubisoft's draconian DRM system and many gamers have vowed to boycott the publisher until the situation has been rectified to their satisfaction. In order for the new Heroes of Might and Magic MMO (and any other Ubisoft games) to be successful, I think the publisher will need to revise their overly severe anti-piracy measures so as to re-brand themselves in gamers' minds as a reasonable company to be trusted.