Difficulties summarized by Roger Collum, vice-president of the studio, in a press release published last Thursday. “ These past few months have been difficult and we recognize that we have made mistakes in our relationship with all of you. We constantly discussed internally how we could get back on solid ground. What is clear is that it will not be easy and will take time and effort […] We cannot resolve our issues overnight, but we will strive to establish more transparent and consistent relationships with all of you “, we can read.
The DLC that failed
The subject of this relational deterioration concerns both Total War: Warhammer III and Total War: Pharaoh. Released to critical acclaim in early 2022, the first has greatly lost its luster since then among the Steam community, particularly since the release of Shadows of Change, additional content released on August 31 at the price of 25 euros. Deemed totally disproportionate in relation to the meager content of the DLC, the price is also one of the reasons for dissatisfaction of a massacring community (only 21% positive evaluations). Admitting to not having met expectations, Creative Assembly is preparing a large-scale free update which should be available in two months for all owners of the DLC. This unforeseen work has the consequence of postponing the DLC Thrones of Decay until April 2024, especially since Creative Assembly’s priority will now be to stop taking blowers with each new expansion.
Express price drop for Pharaoh
If Total War: Warhammer III will have to work to regain the public’s trust, this episode can at least congratulate itself on having met with critical and commercial success. Which is much less the case for Total War: Pharaoh, part released on October 11, which represents an obvious end to the strategy saga. To the point that Sega has not only lowered the selling price of the game to 40 euros (compared to 60 euros at launch): given the speed with which it occurs, this price reduction will also apply retroactively to all those who have purchased the game. They will therefore receive 20 euros in their Steam wallet, if they have not already done so. And what was initially supposed to be the game’s first paid additional content will finally be available for free in early 2024.
“ We’ve begun to re-evaluate what’s next for Pharaoh, and while we don’t have all the answers today, we want to make it clear that we’re not closing the door on more ambitious updates to the game. game in the future. We still have big plans, but we want to be honest with you that we need to spend more time with them before presenting them ”, we are told.
Creative Assembly’s difficulties add to that of Relic Entertainment which also had a very bad year in 2023 with the failure of Company of Heroes 3 and numerous layoffs. With Sports Interactive, this trio once formed a base of large PC licenses on which Sega has long relied to expand its audience. Today, as Shuji Utsumi, CEO of Sega of America, recently declared, the licenses that have carried the brand for several years are instead called Sonic, Persona and Like a Dragon. And it is thanks to this Japanese trio that Sega is today allowing itself to launch the Power Surge program by relaunching old glories like Jet Set Radio, Crazy Taxi, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Streets of Rage.
- Also read | Sega cancels Hyenas and other games in development
Happy holidays from all of us at Creative Assembly. It’s been a difficult year, but we are grateful for what our teams have achieved and look forward to sharing more with you all in the future. pic.twitter.com/2AlVHpTX3t
— Creative Assembly (@CAGames) December 15, 2023