2023 saw the release of Total War: Pharaoh, the latest installment in the popular series, and finally a historical title again. However, it was not well received by fans and quickly lost ratings and players. The developers issued a substantial apology at the end of the year, offered refunds, and now even a free expansion.
What is going on with Total War?
- In 2023, a huge dispute erupted between the developers and the fans of Total War. This was mainly due to two reasons.
- On one hand, after eight years of fantasy games, a historical title in the series was finally released, Total War: Pharaoh. However, it was said to be just a poor reskin of Troy and still cost 60 euros.
- On the other hand, the developers raised prices for the DLCs and charged a hefty 25 euros for new content for Total War: Warhammer 3, after previously not including enough content in the paid DLCs for the players’ taste.
All of this escalated dramatically. Total War: Warhammer 3 was at just 19 percent on Steam for some time, making it one of the worst games ever. In contrast, Pharaoh is only at 66 percent to this day (via Steam).
However, the developers bowed to the pressure at the end of the year and delivered significantly:
- For Warhammer 3, new content was offered for free to complete the DLC and compensate players.
- Pharaoh was retroactively reduced from 60 to 40 euros – permanently. This means: every buyer received 20 euros back.
This is what the developers are offering now: In the latest blog post, the developers announced the next gift for the community. Every owner of Total War: Pharaoh will receive a free expansion that is quite packed:
- four new factions: Mesopotamia, Assyria, Mycenae, and Troy
- 80 new units
- 70 revamped units
- some expansions for the map
Total War usually sells such expansion packs as DLC for between 15 and 20 euros – or 25 euros in the case of Warhammer 3.
“Did they change their entire management or what?”
Pharaoh is currently not doing well on Steam. With just over 600 peak players, it lags far behind older titles like Rome, Rome Remastered, Empire, Attila, Three Kingdoms, and others. Even all three Warhammer titles have more players, with Warhammer 3 leading the list with nearly 80,000 players (via steamcharts).
Whether the renewed gift will bring fans back or even attract new ones remains to be seen. However, the community has reacted positively and is excited about the announcement.
On Reddit, where little is happening nowadays, hundreds of users have commented. It mentions that the gift came completely unexpectedly. They thought that the developer Creative Assembly would simply let the game die. Fans are optimistic, although still a bit scratched:
If the game had started with Mesopotamia and Greece, it would probably have been received much better. But better late than never.
Players are wondering where the sudden change of heart comes from. It is extremely unusual for a studio to suddenly care so much about its reputation and to give out so many gifts.
Total War is indeed on the rise. Besides the free expansion for Pharaoh, there was recently a new DLC for Warhammer 3, and it really packed a punch: Manor Lords on Steam doesn’t matter to me at all anymore; Warhammer will keep me busy for hundreds of hours
