Sega moves to withdraw Total War: Shogun 2 — Complete Edition after launch complaints

Sega and Creative Assembly said on October 15 that they were working with platform holders to remove Total War: Shogun 2 — Complete Edition from sale and restore the original game after complaints about the new edition, which launched on October 13. The Verge reported that the Complete Edition had already been removed from Steam. People who own it will still be able to access and play it, the companies said.

The companies said the release had fallen short of their standards. They are investigating the reported problems and working with a development partner on improvements, but did not give a date for restoring the original game to sale or delivering changes to the Complete Edition.

What players complained about

Players reported bugs and criticised the quality of the game's artwork and upscaling, according to The Verge and IGN. IGN described complaints about storyboard cutscenes, including an image in which a samurai's face appeared to blend with a helmet. Some players suspected that AI had been used in the visuals; that claim has not been established. IGN reported that the Complete Edition had an ‘Overwhelmingly Negative’ Steam user-review rating at the time of its report.

The Complete Edition refreshed the 2011 strategy game and bundled the base game with its downloadable content. Its advertised changes included improved visuals, interface scaling for 1440p and 4K displays, and updated controls, The Verge reported. IGN described promoted changes to textures, models, lighting, shadows and environments, along with rendering and anti-aliasing options. The edition also offered optional campaign movies styled after Ukiyo-e art.

What the withdrawal means for buyers

IGN reported that Sega had taken the original Shogun 2 off sale, leaving customers seeking the game to buy the Complete Edition. IGN put the new edition's price at $40 and said the original had often been discounted to a few dollars. Some customers had paid $10 to upgrade and complained about the release, the outlet reported. Restoring the original would again give buyers a way to purchase that version while work on the Complete Edition continues.

The Verge reported that Mataboo was listed as a developer on the Complete Edition's Steam page and highlighted its work on the game on its website. Sega and Creative Assembly have not identified the cause of the reported problems or assigned responsibility for them.