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Creative Assembly Addresses the Disastrous Total War: Shogun 2 Remaster
Following a disastrous launch that led to the game being pulled from sale, Creative Assembly has clarified that the Total War: Shogun 2 remaster was developed by an external studio.
The recent launch of the Total War: Shogun 2 remaster ended in a massive disappointment for fans, leading Sega to pull the title from storefronts only days after its release. Amidst the backlash, Creative Assembly has officially broken its silence to address why the remaster failed to meet the studio’s quality standards.
The Truth Behind the Total War: Shogun 2 Remaster Failure
Roger Collum, Vice President of Total War at Creative Assembly, took to the Total War subreddit to clear the air regarding the poor reception of the game. He stated explicitly that the project was not developed internally by the studio, noting that they neglected to apply their usual rigorous quality assurance processes. According to Collum, while the team was focused on upcoming major internal projects, they took their eyes off this external collaboration.
Despite the studio not being the primary developer, the company acknowledges that the franchise bears their name and that the final product was unacceptable. Collum expressed deep frustration, stating that the studio is filled with craftspeople who care about player experience and that this project simply missed the mark.
Identifying the External Developer
While Creative Assembly did not explicitly name the partner in their initial statement, the Steam page for the project points to Warsaw-based studio Mataboo. Mataboo is a development support house that has worked on various high-profile titles, including:
- Silent Hill 2
- Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
- The Lord of the Rings: Gollum
- The Medium
The situation remains under investigation as fans wait to see how the studio intends to rectify the issues with the product. Collum has promised that they must own the failure and fix it to maintain the reputation of the Total War brand.
Clarifying the Role of AI in Development
A significant portion of the controversy surrounded the perceived use of generative AI in the remaster’s assets. Collum took a firm stance on this, defining Creative Assembly as a “craft studio.” He clarified the company’s position on technology:
- Creative Assembly uses AI strictly for analysis, debugging, and rapid prototyping.
- They do not utilize generative AI to create in-game assets.
- External partners are held to these same strict standards.
By distancing the studio from the controversial assets found in the remaster, the leadership is attempting to reaffirm their commitment to traditional game development processes while working to resolve the “Complete Edition” debacle.
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