Total War developers Creative Assembly have apologised for “missteps” and permanently reduced the price of Total War: Pharaoh, partially refunded players, removed deluxe editions of the game and made the upcoming paid DLC a free update as part of a move to rebuild player trust. From now, Pharaoh is $39.99USD ($59.99AUD), a decent drop from the original price of $59.99USD. This change has already been enforced on Steam.
In an updated Total War: Pharaoh FAQ post, Creative Assembly confirmed that it reduced the price as “we think this is a fairer cost of the game for players.” This move comes after the game received mixed reviews on Steam, with users commenting on the price not reflecting the amount of content readily available in game. The post continues to clarify that those who’ve already purchased Total War: Pharaoh through Steam at the original price will be automatically partially refunded, and outlined how to receive the refund for those who purchased the game through other stores.
The FAQ also confirmed that instead of delivering a paid DLC as per the originally planned roadmap for Total War: Pharaoh, “we are focusing on providing a more complete core experience…through free content updates and improvements.” The planned first paid DLC will now be a free update set to launch in 2024. The Deluxe and Dynasty Editions of the game have also been deleted, with buyers of either edition also due to receive a partial refund of the price difference.
Writing on behalf of the Total War leadership team, Vice President at Creative Assembly Roger Collum wrote a lengthy apology to the player community, explaining the next steps for Total War: Pharaoh and Total War: Warhammer III. “It has been a difficult few months, and we recognize that we have made mistakes when it comes to our relationship with you all,” the post reads. “It’s been a constant conversation internally on how we can get back to solid ground. What’s clear is that it won’t be easy and that it will take time and effort.”
Collum said the frustration and distrust of Creative Assembly across the Total War player community “breaks our hearts,” and apologised for “failing to demonstrate” just how much the franchise means to the developers. “We cannot fix our issues overnight, but we will work towards a more transparent, and consistent relationship with you all,” he said.
One of the other promised changes outlined in the post relates to the Total War: Warhammer III DLC, Shadows of Change, which Collum acknowledged “failed to meet [player] expectations of what a DLC should be.” The DLC will receive a free update to bring it more in line with player expectations, and the next DLC, Thrones of Decay, has been delayed from the end of this year to April 2024 in order for the studio to not “repeat our past mistakes, and to give you the amount of content that you rightly expect from us at these price points.”
The post ended with another apology from Collum, who said Creative Assembly was sorry for the “missteps we’ve made. The mistakes of Total War are a shared responsibility by all the leaders of the franchise, and while it may not seem like it at times, we are listening.” The studio also committed to being more transparent and responding faster to mistakes made while developing Total War. “We hope that you can find patience for us as we find our footing again, and we hope in the coming months we can prove to you with actions along with words,” the post ended.
Whether these changes are enough to regain the trust of the Total War player community after some very lukewarm reception to recent releases, it’s unclear – but if you’re one of the many players receiving a partial refund for Total War: Pharaoh, at the very least you’ll have some money back in your wallet to make the experience a slightly less bitter pill to swallow.
Lead Image Credit: Creative Assembly
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