What makes Schism an ideal faction for HoMM: Olden Era?

Author: Liso1 September 2, 2025 2 Comments

Unfrozen Studio’s vision for Olden Era is to create an original game that allows the community to explore both familiar and entirely new factions. Olden Era is designed as a standalone title rather than a remake of any previous installment.

The studio’s main goal is to blend the old with the new, offering players a fresh experience while honoring the legacy of the franchise. The decision to introduce brand-new factions stemmed from the opportunity to explore concepts never fully realized in the series.

Schism creatures

Throughout the lore of earlier games, there are numerous mentions of creatures and monsters that either never found their place or played only minor roles, and Unfrozen Studio saw this as fertile ground for expansion.

At launch, Olden Era’s Early Access will feature three familiar factions — Temple, Dungeon, and Necropolis — alongside three new ones: Hive, Sylvan, and Schism. Additional factions may be introduced in the future through potential DLCs.

Although Schism is entirely new, Unfrozen Studio emphasizes that every faction they create is rooted in existing lore. The foundation of Schism draws from an intriguing narrative framework: a group that wields powers they do not fully understand, slowly being twisted by that very influence.

The description of Elemental Planes and its inhabitants affected by Realm Between Realm’s madness, taken from RPG Might and Magic VIII

Inspiration comes in part from Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer, where the party faces Escaton the Destroyer within the Realm Between Realms (also known as the Plane Between Planes) — an interdimensional space separating the Material World from the Arcane or Elemental Planes.

The origins of Enroth and Elemental Lords as explained by Tarnum in Heroes III Chronicles

This eerie domain is described as a landscape of living nightmares and incomprehensible monstrosities that defy natural laws. Eldritch creatures also make a brief appearance in Heroes IV through Gauldoth Half-Dead’s storyline, where Ice Demons and Venom Spawns aid him in his struggle against his master.

The Nightmares (not the horses) within Realm Between Realms in RPG Might and Magic VIII

Despite the technical and creative limitations of its time, the Realm Between Realms has remained a vivid and haunting memory for players, leaving a deep impression. For Unfrozen Studio, it represents a perfect opportunity to explore something abominable, eldritch, and twisted — an area of the lore that was only lightly touched upon in the broader universe but continues to beg for further exploration.

The studio also draws from scattered references across the Heroes of Might and Magic and Might and Magic games, which suggest that the barriers between elemental realms and the Material World are thinnest in the deepest crevices of Enroth. These fissures lead into a darker, more sinister layer of reality bordering the Realm Between Realms, offering yet another foundation for new and compelling faction design.

The Frost Gates of Ice Demons from Heroes IV

Since the Abyss — a lower layer of the Elemental Plane of Water — connects directly to the Realm Between Realms, its denizens bear strong aquatic traits. This influence is reflected in the design of Schism units, particularly in the mutations that affect the elven half of their roster.

Unfrozen Studio also acknowledges the strong presence of H. P. Lovecraft fans within the community. They observed that such themes had not yet been fully explored in Heroes of Might and Magic, which is exactly the creative space Schism seeks to occupy. The goal was to craft a faction that feels both familiar and entirely new, offering players a unique experience unlike anything seen in the franchise before.

Trident of Rulership from RPG Might and Magic VIII. What secrets did the Tritons know?

To achieve this, the team connected Schism deeply to existing lore by digging into the older games — sometimes pulling inspiration from the smallest snippets, such as artifacts or details from physical manuals. Collaboration with the Heroes IP team ensured that everything remained appropriate and consistent within the Might and Magic universe.

While many of these discoveries would reveal spoilers for the story, the studio did share one key detail: the powers wielded by the renegades of Schism trace back to the discoveries of their Vori ancestors, who unearthed artifacts from the mysterious Triton Empire.

A quick summary of what players can expect from Schism:

• A completely new faction never before developed in the Heroes of Might and Magic universe.
• Unique mechanics capable of altering the course of each game, requiring careful planning.
• Strong inspiration from H. P. Lovecraft’s works for fans of the eldritch and abominable.
• Expansion of lore elements within the Might and Magic universe that had only been hinted at until now.

Unfrozen Studio emphasizes its deep respect and love for the Might and Magic universe, while also striving to expand its horizons wherever the lore allows. Schism felt like a perfect fit, particularly within Jadame — a continent renowned for its dense web of magical leylines and fragile planar barriers. A new land, a new story, and new threats naturally bring new challenges to overcome.

As development progresses, future campaign acts will further explore Schism, gradually uncovering the veil of mystery surrounding their creation and rise to power. This deeper narrative expansion will unfold after Early Access, continuing on the path toward the game’s full release.

HoMM: Olden Era – Schism faction full reveal