Creative Assembly investigates Shogun 2 edition after withdrawal

Creative Assembly vice president Roger Collum said the studio failed to oversee the development of Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition, which was withdrawn from sale after a poorly received launch, and that the edition’s apparent use of AI-generated artwork is under investigation. In a statement posted to the Total War subreddit, Collum said an external developer made the Complete Edition and it did not undergo Creative Assembly’s usual internal reviews and quality assurance. He said the studio had taken its eyes off development while its teams focused on other projects. However, he added, Total War is Creative Assembly’s franchise and the studio must take responsibility for the release. Creative Assembly and Sega said the edition fell short of player expectations and their own standards when they removed it from sale. The sources identify Mataboo Games as the external developer listed alongside Creative Assembly on the Steam page, though Collum did not name the company in his statement. Collum said Creative Assembly does not use generative AI to create game assets and requires external developers it works with to follow the same rule. He said the studio is investigating the...