Creative Assembly's vice president of Total War, Roger Collum, has addressed the troubled launch of the Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition, attributing the game's numerous issues to an external development partner and a lack of internal oversight. The remaster was briefly removed from sale by Sega shortly after its release due to its poor state.
In a statement on the Total War subreddit, Collum expressed that both the studio and fans are disappointed with the quality of the remaster. He clarified that the game was not developed in-house at Creative Assembly and therefore did not undergo the same rigorous internal review and quality assurance processes. "We took our eyes off its external development, with all our teams focused on our next big projects," Collum stated. He emphasized that despite the development arrangement, Total War is Creative Assembly's franchise, and the company takes responsibility for its name being associated with the product. "The studio is full of craft people who care deeply about the experiences we give to our players. Shogun 2—CE did not meet that bar. We have to own that and we have to fix it."
Collum also commented on concerns regarding the use of generative AI in the remaster. He asserted that Creative Assembly remains a "craft studio" and uses AI tools primarily for tasks such as analysis, debugging, and rapid prototyping, but not for creating in-game assets. He further noted that the company requires the same standard from its external development partners. The situation with Shogun 2: Complete Edition is currently under investigation.
While Collum did not explicitly name the external studio responsible, the Steam page for the game lists Warsaw-based Mataboo as a co-developer. Mataboo's website describes its services as providing "complete end-to-end game development support," including design, tool development, porting, optimization, and quality assurance for PC and console titles. The studio has previously contributed to titles such as The Blood of Dawnwalker, Silent Hill 2, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, and The Lord of the Rings: Gollum.
The explanation has met with mixed reactions from the Total War community. Many players argue that Creative Assembly ultimately bears responsibility for any product released under its name, regardless of development structure. They point to the significant and obvious issues present in the remaster, and some recall pre-release livestreams where Creative Assembly employees appeared enthusiastic about the game without, seemingly, having played it extensively.
Collum concluded his statement by requesting that fans refrain from directing anger toward individual employees, emphasizing the need to maintain constructive and safe community spaces. He took personal responsibility, stating, "When we get it wrong, it’s on me. You absolutely have the right to be mad, and to criticise us, but direct it at me." He pledged that the company would acknowledge its mistakes and strive to rectify them. A small team of senior developers from Creative Assembly is now collaborating with Sega and the external studio to determine the path forward.