Creative Assembly apologises for "missteps" with Total War series, offers Pharaoh refunds

Creative Assembly has apologised for "missteps" it made with the Total War series and is offering partial refunds of Total War: Pharaoh on Steam.

The Shadows of Change DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3 was poorly received by players when it released in August, with mostly negative reviews on Steam posted ever since. Total War: Pharaoh, meanwhile, was criticised for its high price and lack of content.

"We again apologise for the missteps we've made," reads a new blog post from Creative Assembly vice president Roger Collum. "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."

For Shadows of Change, a major update will be released for free - aiming for February 2024 - and will become part of the package for all future purchasers.

The next DLC, Thrones of Decay, has now moved from its intended release window of winter 2023 to a launch in April 2024. Said Collum: "We also have more work to do on Thrones of Decay 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."

Creative Assembly will also increase its game updates in future to address issues raised by players. "Our work on this beloved series isn't finished yet," said Collum.

As for Total War: Pharaoh, the partial refund is due to the studio dropping the price of the game to £29.99/$39.99/€39.99 from its original £50/$60. Higher priced editions - the Deluxe and Dynasty editions - have been removed, so all players will have now paid the same.

A free update for the game will be released in early 2024, originally intended as paid DLC. "We have now begun the process of reassessing what comes next for Pharaoh, and while we don't have all the answers today, we want to make it clear to you that we're not closing the door on other, more ambitious updates to the game in the future," said Collum. "We've still got big plans, but we want to be honest with you in saying that we need to spend more time with them before putting them out on show."

Lastly, a major change within Creative Assembly is increasing transparency and listening more to fan feedback.

"Our goal is to invest more in our player channels moving forward, introducing more voices from the studio who can speak to you directly about their work and how that relates to what you want from our titles, and most importantly to keep listening to your feedback," said Collum. "This will all be a work in progress, so do bear with us, but this is our direction moving forward."

Total War: Pharaoh received a 3 out of 5 stars in our Eurogamer review, despite its "lacklustre" battles.

Back in September, Sega suddenly cancelled Creative Assembly's shooter Hyenas, resulting in layoffs at the studio. Now, it's set to refocus on what it's known for best: real-time strategy games.