After several months of uncertainty, developer Creative Assembly has announced changes to the DLC roadmap for Total War: Warhammer 3 and refunds for players of Total War: Pharaoh.
Thrones of Decay, the Warhammer 3 DLC that was planned to add new units and leaders to the Empire, Dwarfs and Nurgle factions in the grand strategy game in 'winter 2023' is now scheduled for an April 2024 release date. However, anyone who wants to play the Shadows of Change bought August DLC will get more content in February at no additional cost. Total War: Pharaohon the other hand, will get its first new content “early 2024” as planned, but it will now be a free update as opposed to paid DLC.
Further, PharaohThe price has also dropped to $39.99 (previously $59.99), and anyone who already owned it will receive a “partial refund.” Creative Assembly is also removing the Deluxe and Dynasty editions of the game from digital stores.
The changes, which Creative Assembly outlined in a blog post were accompanied by an apology from Vice President Roger Collum on Thursday after a turbulent few months. The studio was criticized in August for Shadows of Change's $24.99 price tag, which many players felt was inconsistent with the DLC's content. While the previous DLC (Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs) added an entirely new faction, along with dozens of new units for the game's real-time strategy battles for the same price, Shadows of Change mainly built upon factions already in the game. . a blog post from mid-August from Creative Assembly, ostensibly intended to explain the price change within the context of the studio's changing economic needs, was further criticized for its perceived lack of content. Players moved on review bomb Warhammer 3 on Steam.
As regards Total War: PharaohCreative Assembly considers the new prize a “fairer costs for the game.” Judging by recent Steam reviewsplayers felt the game's content wasn't worth the $59.99 it has cost since October.
“It has been a difficult few months and we recognize that we have made mistakes when it comes to our relationship with all of you,” Collum wrote in the blog post. “It has been an ongoing internal conversation about how we can get back on solid ground. What is clear is that it will not be easy and it will take time and effort.”
The renewed focus on the future of Total War comes after the cancellation of Creative Assemblies Hyenas extraction shooter. The studio laid off employees soon after, joining a litany of companies that have taken similar steps to adapt to the video game industry's 2023 downturn.