Ubisoft sent along an announcement for the Limited Edition version of Heroes of Might and Magic V, which will ship alongside the regular edition when the game is released this May. The $59.99 LE will include the game on DVD, Windows XP compatible versions of HOMM 3 & 4, unique in-game content including three single scenario maps, the game's soundtrack and artwork.

Ubisoft sends along this in-house Heroes of Might & Magic V Q&A, asking composer Rob King about his work on the game. On FileShack you can find several pieces from this soundtrack, which King (Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Jade Empire, Advent Rising) created together with Paul Romero.

Several Heroes of Might & Magic fan sites have teamed up to launch SaveHeroes.org, hoping to persuade Ubisoft to delay the upcoming Heroes of Might & Magic V. After playing the open beta test, the sites involved are convinced the game needs additional development time. The strategy game sequel is currently scheduled for release next month.

With Heroes of Might and Magic 4 having received poor sales in comparison to its predecessor, Heroes 5 is seen by most as a make or break game. If it fails, so will the entire Might and Magic franchise. If it succeeds, then the product line would gain the support it needs for a long term at Ubisoft. After the rough start and continued issues of the Open Beta, and some investigation, these leaders realized that there was little time to act. Ubisoft's fiscal year ends on March 31, coinciding with the release date. Ubisoft was also the target of a takeover bid in December of 2004, something they are not likely to forget easily. Wanting to hit or exceed their yearly targets could be a reason for the March 31 release date. However, such short-term plans are exactly what doomed Heroes 4, New World Computing and The 3DO Company. SaveHeroes.Org is now open to try and prevent such a thing from happening.

Update: GameSpot reports that Ubisoft is indeed delaying the game, though the publisher tells the site they did so before this petition came to light. A new release date should be issued next week.

GameSpot has posted a new Heroes of Might & Magic V preview, going hands-on with the single and multiplayer parts of the turn based strategy game sequel. IGN also has a preview, as does GameSpy.

At noon Central you'll be able to sign up to beta test Heroes of Might & Magic V, the turn-based strategy game sequel. Additional details will appear on the game's website at that time. Some impressoins of the beta build can already be found at Celestial Heavens and EuroGamer.

The official Might & Magic website has been updated with a new in-house Q&A on Heroes of Might & Magic V. Well actually it just titled as such, as there is no actual Q&A. But producer Fabrice Cambounet does offer an overview of racial abilities.

Also on GameSpot today is this new Heroes of Might & Magic V Q&A. Creative director Alexander Mishulin is asked about the game's Academy faction.

Ubisoft sends along this Heroes of Might & Magic V Q&A, offering info on the game's Dungeon faction. We also have seven new screenshots from Nival Interactive's fantasy strategy game sequel.

Ubisoft sends along the second part of the Heroes of Might & Magic V Games Convention demo movie, offering another four minutes of gameplay footage with developer narration. Nival Interactive's turn-based strategy game is due out early 2006.

The official Heroes of Might & Magic V site has been updated with a game FAQ, answering questions about the new game world, the towns, new features, the look of the game, the lack of hero characters, combat, beta testing plans and much more. Thanks Blues.

Ubisoft sends along the final part of their Heroes of Might & Magic V E3 2005 demo video, featuring another three minutes of gameplay footage and developer narration. According to Ubi the video introduces "the brand-new dynamic battle system that transforms a chessboard into a lively battlefield".

The official Might and Magic website has a developer diary posted, answering a few questions about the upcoming Heroes Of Might & Magic V. Topics include Nival Interactive's experience with turn-based games, influences on the development team by movies/books/etc, new game features, designing creatures, gameplay balancing and AI.

Ubisoft has released the second Heroes of Might and Magic V E3 2005 movie, showing more gameplay footage from Nival Interactive's turn-based strategy game.

Ubisoft sends along the first Heroes of Might and Magic V E3 demo, showing footage from Nival Interactive's turn-based strategy game. "Revealing the view of a fully developed human town, players will get a glimpse of how the new opus is now rendered in full 3D, with glorious details and depth of view". The video is narrated by Ubisoft producer Fabrice Cambounet.