Sega and developer Creative Assembly are temporarily removing Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from sale, just days after its release, acknowledging that the updated version has not met player or developer expectations.
The companies stated on Twitter that they have observed player feedback, comments, and reviews, agreeing that the current experience "is not where it needs to be." They are collaborating with platform holders to pull the game from sale and intend to reinstate the original version while issues are investigated.
Existing owners will retain access to and the ability to play the game. Sega and Creative Assembly are working closely with their development partner to pinpoint the causes of the problems and implement improvements, with the goal of ensuring the Complete Edition aligns with the quality standards expected from the Total War series.
The statement did not specify the nature of the issues, but many players have pointed to what they describe as "hokey upscaling" and other potential signs of artificial intelligence implementation in the Complete Edition, though the official statement does not mention AI.
Following its launch on October 13th, Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition saw its Steam review score rapidly decline to "overwhelmingly negative," with only 15 percent of over 4,000 reviews being positive. The game is currently unavailable on the Steam store.
This situation echoes recent discussions in the industry regarding the use of generative AI in game development. Several studios, including Level-5, Krafton, Square Enix, and EA, have publicly stated their investment in and use of AI technologies in various aspects of development and quality assurance.