The vice president of Total War studio Creative Assembly, Roger Collum, has released a lengthy statement apologizing to the strategy series’ fans for its “mistakes when it comes to our relationship with you all.” He outlined the studio’s plans to improve the poorly received Warhammer 3 DLC, Shadows of Change, delay the upcoming Thrones of Decay DLC, and alter the pricing of Total War: Pharaoh.
In the statement, which was published yesterday (December 14), Collum said that “it has been a difficult few months,” and the studio has been engaged in “constant conversation internally on how we can get back to solid ground.” He noted: “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.”
As Eurogamer reports, Total War: Warhammer 3’s Shadow’s of Change DLC was released in August, and currently sits on Steam with a ‘Mostly Negative’ user rating. Collum has now acknowledged that “we failed to meet your expectations of what a DLC should be,” and stated that Creative Assembly is working on a major free update which it hopes to release in February 2024 (although he noted that this window could change). The studio has committed to "ensuring that we better meet your expectations going forward."
Furthermore, as a result of this update, but also “to make sure that we don’t repeat our past mistakes, and to give you the amount of content that you rightly expect from us at these price points,” the Total War: Warhammer 3 Thrones of Decay DLC is being delayed to 2024, with the aim of launching it in April. It was originally supposed to launch before the end of 2023.
Otherwise, Total War: Pharaoh, which was released in September, has been given a permanent price cut, taking it from $59.99 (£49.99) to $39.99 ($29.99). A FAQ section explaining the matter simply states that the team thought that this price was “fairer” - existing owners will receive partial refunds to make up the difference. Furthermore, the pricey Deluxe and Dynasty editions have been removed from sale, and Pharaoh’s first paid DLC will now be a free update, set to release in early 2024.
“We again apologize for the missteps we’ve made,” Collum concluded. “The mistakes of Total War are a shared responsibility by all the leaders of the franchise, and while it may not seem like it at times, we are listening.”
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