Creative Assembly’s Total War 25th anniversary showcase featured a number of major announcements in the strategy series, including a brand new game, a significant update to an existing game, and the tease of a new game announcement at The Game Awards.
Total War: Medieval 3 announced
First up, Creative Assembly announced Total War: Medieval 3, the long-awaited return to the franchise’s historical roots, with a live-action reveal trailer. Here’s the official blurb:
Now in early pre-production, this next chapter is both a tribute to its legendary predecessors and a bold revolution for the series. Built as the ultimate medieval strategy sandbox, it will empower players to shape realms, rewrite history, and immerse themselves in the Middle Ages like never before. Combining meticulous historical authenticity with unprecedented player agency, this is more than a sequel, it’s the rebirth of historical Total War.
Total War: Warhammer 3 - Lords of the End Times announced
Next came Total War: Warhammer 3 - Lords of the End Times, which coincides with the subseries’ 10th year. The Lords of The End Times Pack adds four new Legendary Lords into the Immortal Empires campaign experience in summer 2026. The first to be revealed is the great necromancer, Nagash, who returns to reclaim his lost power and drown the world in undeath. These new lords also herald the arrival of the free End Times Update. Here’s the official blurb:
Taking inspiration from the lore, players will face a campaign experience transformed, with apocalyptic scenarios and cataclysmic events that push the boundaries of strategy and survival. And to crown this update, a new Legendary Lord will rise, ready to leave their mark on the cataclysm to come.
Creative Assembly ended the announcement by saying there’s more to come from Total War: Warhammer, insisting “the series is far from over.”
The Warcore game engine to bring Total War to consoles
Next up was the announcement of the Warcore game engine, the latest version of Creative Assembly's own tech which allows for future Total War games to launch on console. Here’s what Creative Assembly had to say:
Building on 25 years of strategy innovation, Warcore is the next evolution of Total War’s proprietary engine. As the most advanced technological foundation in the franchise’s history, it empowers developers with a suite of tools that allows for gameplay to be more immersive, dynamic and responsive than ever before. Designed to evolve over time, it will continue to unlock new capabilities, ensuring the franchise stays at the cutting edge of strategy gaming for years to come. In a franchise first, it also enables future games to be released on PlayStation and Xbox, welcoming a new generation of commanders to the scale, immersion, and tactical mastery that defines Total War.
'Surprise' Total War game set for The Game Awards
The showcase ended with a tease for The Game Awards on December 11, when a “surprise” third game will be revealed. “This title will be Total War’s next major release and represents one of the most ambitious projects in the franchise’s history, marking the beginning of an exciting new era,” Creative Assembly said. “We hope to see you there.”
Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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