Creative Assembly has finally responded to the disastrous release of a remastered "Complete Edition" of Total War: Shogun 2, acknowledging that the update “did not meet the bar” and expressing disappointment. The game was swiftly pulled from sale by Sega after widespread player backlash over its poor performance and the inclusion of AI-upscaled art assets.
In a forum post, Roger Collum, vice president of the Total War division, stated that the remaster was not developed by Creative Assembly directly, indicating that the studio "took our eyes off its external development." While not naming the developer, Collum emphasized that this was the work of an outside group while Creative Assembly's internal teams were focused on new projects. He acknowledged that despite the external development, the Total War franchise and its name are under Creative Assembly's purview.
Collum asserted that Creative Assembly does not use generative AI for creating game assets, including art, and requires the same from external partners. He stated, "We do not believe in a world where technology replaces the creativity of humans." The situation with the Shogun 2 remaster is currently under investigation. He did note that the studio does utilize AI tools to assist its developers in areas like analysis, debugging, and rapid prototyping, but these tools are meant to support creators, not replace them.
The issue with the Shogun 2 remaster appears to stem from the upscaling of small assets within the original game's encyclopedia using AI. Creative Assembly has assembled a small team of senior developers to collaborate with Sega and the external developer on the next steps to address the situation. Collum stressed that because the game was handled by a third party, it did not undergo the same internal review and quality assurance processes as internally developed titles.
Collum urged players not to direct harassment or personal criticism toward the game's developers, asking instead that criticism be directed at him. He pledged that Creative Assembly would strive to earn back player trust by creating quality games and addressing mistakes when they occur. Despite the apology and the call for kindness, the statement's emphasis on redirecting blame has drawn scrutiny, particularly regarding how so little oversight was applied to a significant release like a remaster of Shogun 2, which was pulled from sale shortly after its launch.