Creative Assembly celebrated a quarter-century of grand strategy with a major digital showcase, marking the Total War franchise's 25th anniversary. The event was packed with significant reveals that chart the course for the series' future, blending long-awaited returns to historical roots with substantial technological leaps. From a new medieval epic to a game engine designed to break platform barriers, the announcements signal an ambitious new era for the venerable strategy series.
Key Dates & Context:
- Franchise Anniversary: Total War 25th Anniversary (Showcase held on December 4, 2025).
- Sub-series Anniversary: Total War: Warhammer 10th Anniversary.
- Upcoming Reveal: The Game Awards – December 11, 2025.
- Historical Reference: BBC's Time Commanders TV show aired in 2005 (and a 2016 special), using a pre-release version of Rome: Total War.
The Long-Awaited Return of a Historical Giant
The headline announcement was the confirmation of Total War: Medieval 3, now in early pre-production. Described as "the rebirth of historical Total War," the project aims to serve as the "ultimate medieval strategy sandbox." Creative Assembly promises a blend of meticulous historical authenticity with unprecedented player agency, allowing commanders to shape realms and rewrite history. This announcement fulfills a years-long request from the community and represents a major pivot back to the pure historical settings that built the franchise's early reputation, following an extended period focused on the fantasy world of Warhammer.
Announced Products & Updates:
- Total War: Medieval 3: Historical title. Status: Early pre-production.
- Total War: Warhammer 3 - Lords of the End Times: Content Pack. Adds 4 new Legendary Lords (Nagash confirmed). Releases Summer 2026.
- End Times Update: Free update for Total War: Warhammer 3 accompanying the Lords pack.
- Warcore Engine: New proprietary game engine. Key feature: Enables future Total War releases on PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
- Unannounced Project: "Surprise" game to be revealed at The Game Awards on December 11, 2025.
Warhammer 3 Expands with an Apocalyptic Update
Coinciding with the fantasy sub-series' own 10th anniversary, Creative Assembly revealed Total War: Warhammer 3 - Lords of the End Times. This major content pack, slated for summer 2026, will introduce four new Legendary Lords to the sprawling Immortal Empires campaign. The first lord revealed is the supreme necromancer Nagash. The pack heralds a free, accompanying "End Times Update" that will transform the campaign experience with apocalyptic scenarios and cataclysmic events, pushing the strategy and survival elements to new limits. The studio explicitly stated that "the series is far from over," hinting at more content to come.
A New Engine Unlocks the Console Frontier
In a move with profound implications for the franchise's reach, Creative Assembly announced the Warcore game engine. Touted as the most advanced technological foundation in the series' history, Warcore is built to make gameplay more immersive, dynamic, and responsive. Its most groundbreaking feature is the enablement of cross-platform development. For the first time ever, the engine is designed to allow future Total War games to launch on PlayStation and Xbox consoles, potentially introducing the intricate large-scale battles of Total War to a vast new audience of commanders.
A Tease for The Game Awards and a Nostalgic Look Back
The showcase concluded with a tease for an upcoming "surprise" third game reveal at The Game Awards on December 11. Creative Assembly called it one of the "most ambitious projects" in the franchise's history, marking the "beginning of an exciting new era." Separately, reflecting on the franchise's journey, a second article delved into the charming deception of the early-2000s BBC TV show Time Commanders, which used pre-release builds of Rome: Total War. Developers revealed that the "AI" opponents were actually human developers following historical scripts, and cheat codes were used to ensure battles provided compelling television narratives.
Charting the Future of Grand Strategy
With these announcements, Creative Assembly has laid out a multi-faceted roadmap. Medieval 3 satisfies the core historical fanbase, Warhammer 3 continues to expand its fantasy universe, and the Warcore engine fundamentally redefines the technical and commercial possibilities for the franchise by embracing consoles. The promise of another major reveal at The Game Awards only adds to the anticipation. After 25 years, Total War is not resting on its laurels but is instead engineering a significant evolution, aiming to blend its deep strategic heritage with a broader, more accessible future.