CA make pledges on Total War’s future, issue Total War: Pharaoh partial refunds and lower price
14.12.2023 - 19:37
/ thesixthaxis.com
Creative Assembly has posted a length message from the Total War franchise leadership, looking to repair the company’s relationship with the fanbase of the long-running strategy game series. In particular, the studio will bring free updates for the Total War: Warhammer 3 Shadows of Change DLC, and the price of Total War: Pharaoh is being reduced with partial refunds for all those that bought the game.
In an open letter, Roger Collum, Vice President of Creative Assembly wrote:
“It has been a difficult few months, and we recognize that we have made mistakes when it comes to our relationship with you all. It’s been a constant conversation internally on how we can get back to solid ground. What’s clear is that it won’t be easy and that it will take time and effort.
“We see the confusion, the frustration, and the distrust of us across the community and honestly, it breaks our hearts. We make games to bring you joy, to inspire a love of history, of fantasy, and strategy games. Total War is our everything, we care about it as deeply as you. Recently, it’s clear that we have failed to demonstrate that in our actions.
“We are sorry.
“We cannot fix our issues overnight, but we will work towards a more transparent, and consistent relationship with you all.”
Looking first to Total War: Warhammer 3 and the disappointment in the Shadows of Change DLC, the studio will work to expand and enhance what the DLC offers by releasing an update in February 2024 to add more content to it – plans are still in the works and they will reveal more about what these additions are and when it will be released in the new year.
Since we’re rapidly running out of 2023 anyway, the Thrones of Decay DLC has now been delayed from ‘Winter 2023’ with a goal to release it in April 2024. Collum explains that they will look to avoid repeating past mistakes, keeping players informed and ensuring that there is enough to each DLC to match the price points.
Speaking of which, Total War: Pharaoh has been reduced in price to £29.99 /$39.99 / €39.99. This, they say, “is a fairer cost of the game for players,” and reflective of the game’s smaller scale and origins from the team behind what was previously branded as Total War Saga.
Partial refunds will be automatically issued to anyone that has bought the game. Find more details on that in the Total War: Pharaoh FAQ.
That Creative Assembly has taken these steps is a sign of a rough year for the company. Outside of Total War, they were working on free-to-play extraction shooter Hyenas, but after a big and splashy build up and presence during Gamescom, Sega pulled the plug on the game before it could release. Meanwhile, dissatisfaction has been growing in the Total War community for some time now, and