The studio also affirmed it is against the usage of generative AI in video game development.
Creative Assembly, the studio behind the iconic Total War series of strategy games, has finally broken its silence on the disastrous release of Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition on 13 October.
In a statement released on the official Creative Assembly forum and the Total War subreddit, the studio's Vice President for Total War Roger Collum said that Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition “was not a Creative Assembly developed game” and that the developers “do not use generative AI to create game assets, including AI-generated art.”
Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition's disastrous launch
Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition was first announced in mid-September, much to the surprise of longtime fans of the series. It served as a light remaster of one of the series' classic historical titles, with the list of improvements coming with it ranging from over 50 newly playable minor factions, improved visuals, modernised controls, integrated in-game mod support using Mod.io, modernised controls, to Japanese and Chinese voice acting and full text localisation, among others.
Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition also promised to be more compatible with modern machinery thanks to its 64bit upgrade as well as support for 1440p and 4K UI scaling.
While players who already had the original game could purchase the Complete Edition at a discounted price, it was removed from storefronts–meaning the Complete Edition would be the only version of the game accessible to both new and returning players.
But once the Complete Edition did launch, complaints about its quality and apparently AI-generated visuals flooded the community. The game plummeted to an Overwhelmingly Negative rating on Steam, with 85% of reviews criticising the product at the time.
A Reddit post highlighted suspected AI-generated artwork and assets in the game, featuring a before-and-after comparison of the original and remastered character design, plus an alleged AI-generated artwork. The post garnered 20,000 upvotes.
In response to the overwhelming backlash, Sega temporarily pulled the game from sale while Creative Assembly worked to address the issues.
Creative Assembly clarifies it did not develop Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition
With Creative Assembly finally breaking its silence on Shogun 2's disastrous launch, the studio has clarified that Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition “was not a Creative Assembly developed game.” Instead, the game's development and subsequent issues seems to have come from Polish studio MATABOO–who were listed as an external development partner–and series publisher Sega.
“You haven't heard from me yet, and I want to step into that void and clarify a few points from our team's perspective that are the cause of a lot of your discussions. I get many of you are angry and disappointed about the state of the Shogun 2 - Complete Edition release. We are too – especially the team members who have put everything into Total War games for years, some even decades,” said Collum.
“This was not a Creative Assembly developed game. It wasn’t subject to our same internal reviews and quality assurance. We took our eyes off its external development, with all our teams focused on our next big projects."
With that said, Collum affirmed that Creative Assembly should have been more proactive in ensuring that Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition still lived up to the standards of the series.
"Whatever the development arrangements, Total War is our franchise and our name is on it. 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,” said Collum.
Creative Assembly affirms stance against use of generative AI
With the amount of apparently AI-generated assets seen in Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition, Collum also clarified that Creative Assembly as a studio are against the usage of generative AI in the development of their games.
“We are a craft studio. Our games are made by incredibly talented people, and we do not believe in a world where technology replaces the creativity of humans. At Creative Assembly we do not use generative AI to create game assets, including AI-generated art. We demand the same of any external developers we work with. The situation with Shogun 2: Complete Edition is being investigated,” said Collum.
“We use AI tools where they help our craftspeople do their best work, as part of a continual evolution of how we use tools and technology in an evolving and competitive space. For me, the principle is pretty simple: AI can support the creator. It shouldn’t replace the creator. I don’t believe that AI can replace the human experience, judgement and creativity that awesome experiences come from. Can AI tools help with analysis, debugging, or speedy prototyping so our experts can focus on making incredible games? Absolutely.”
Finally, Collum asked the Total War community not to direct their ire over Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition's disastrous launch towards Creative Assembly employees.
“I’ll end my message today with an ask of you all. I understand your anger, but don’t direct that to individuals on our teams. Our community teams, QA, designers, and everyone in between are doing their job, as asked by the company. Their safety is our priority. They do not deserve, and we will not tolerate, harassment or being singled out online and personally criticised,” said Collum.
“I’ve said it before: when the team does well, it’s all about them. 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. We know we must earn your trust by making good games, and crucially, by how we respond when we get things wrong. We’re human, we will get things wrong, and I promise as long as I’m here, when that happens, we’ll hold our hands up and try to make it right.”
