Total War Boss Blames Partner for Shogun 2 Edition Flop

WHO:

Kotaku - Roger Collum, vice president of Creative Assembly’s Total War division, addressed the Shogun 2: Complete Edition release in a company forum post.

Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum published a personal apology on the official Total War Reddit.

Kotaku - Creative Assembly (CA), Sega, and Polish developer Mataboo were involved in the remaster’s development and response. Collum did not name Mataboo in his post.

Rock Paper Shotgun - Mataboo Games was listed as a co-developer on the game’s Steam page; Collum referred to an unnamed external partner.

Kotaku - Collum described CA as a “craft studio” whose games are made by talented people, and said Total War is CA’s franchise and its name is on the release.

WHAT:

Kotaku - Sega pulled the Complete Edition from sale after its release in a disastrous state; Rock Paper Shotgun reported that CA and Sega pulled it from Steam following complaints about technical problems and AI-generated art.

Kotaku - Steam users gave the release overwhelmingly negative reviews, citing its appearance and poor performance. The remaster was found to include AI-upscaled versions of original art.

Kotaku - Collum said the release “did not meet the bar” and that CA was “angry and disappointed.”

Kotaku; Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum said the game was not developed by CA, was not subject to CA’s usual internal reviews and quality assurance, and that the studio “took our eyes off its external development.”

Kotaku; Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum said Sega and a small team of senior developers were working with the external developer on “next steps”; further details were to follow.

Kotaku; Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum said CA does not use generative AI to create game assets, including AI-generated art, and requires the same of external developers. He said the Shogun 2 situation was being investigated.

Kotaku; Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum said CA uses AI tools for “analysis, debugging, or speedy prototyping,” but believes AI should support rather than replace creators.

Kotaku; Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum asked people not to harass or personally criticize individual developers. He said their safety was a priority; Rock Paper Shotgun reported he warned that abuse could make the studio less transparent.

Rock Paper Shotgun - The original game’s Steam page had been reinstated, while the Complete Edition’s page remained live but unavailable for purchase and showed “overwhelmingly negative” reviews.

WHERE:

Kotaku - Collum’s response appeared on Creative Assembly’s forum.

Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum’s apology appeared on the official Total War Reddit; the editions’ pages were on Steam.

WHY:

Kotaku; Rock Paper Shotgun - Collum said CA’s teams were focused on “our next big projects,” while the remaster was externally developed.

HOW:

Kotaku - Collum said the remaster bypassed CA’s usual internal review and quality-assurance processes.

Rock Paper Shotgun - The Complete Edition included AI-generated art and technical problems, prompting complaints and its removal from sale.

(UPDATED October 24, 2026 04:08 UTC)

Creative Assembly executive Roger Collum apologized after the Shogun 2: Complete Edition was pulled from Steam following complaints about technical problems and AI-generated art. The remaster drew overwhelmingly negative reviews, with players criticizing its appearance and performance. Collum said the release did not meet the studio’s standards, and that Creative Assembly was angry and disappointed. He explained that an external developer handled the project, which bypassed the company’s usual internal reviews and quality checks. Creative Assembly and Sega are now working with the developer on next steps, with more details to come. Collum said the studio does not use generative AI to make game assets and requires the same of external partners; the art in this release is under investigation. He also asked fans not to target individual developers with abuse. The original game’s Steam page is back, but the Complete Edition remains unavailable for purchase.