In a major celebration of its 25th anniversary, the renowned UK developer Creative Assembly has unveiled exciting plans for the future of its flagship strategy series, confirming one long-awaited sequel and teasing another that has set the rumour mill into overdrive.
A Historic Return and a Mysterious Tease
During a recent anniversary livestream, the studio officially confirmed the development of Total War: Medieval 3, a direct sequel to one of the franchise's most beloved historical settings. The announcement was made unusually early, with the studio admitting it wanted to gather fan input during the design phase. The game is currently in 'pre-production', suggesting a release is still at least three to four years away, potentially arriving via an early access programme.
However, the second reveal was more enigmatic, described as an 'announcement of an announcement'. Creative Assembly stated this project will be properly unveiled at The Game Awards next week. This cryptic tease has ignited fervent speculation within the gaming community, with many pointing to persistent rumours about a Total War: Star Wars title.
The Star Wars Connection and Engine Power
While no concrete evidence links the teaser to Star Wars, the timing is notable. Industry rumour source Kurakasis recently suggested a 'big Star Wars game announcement is coming very soon', unrelated to projects by Zero Company or Quantic Dream. A Star Wars strategy game would mark a significant return for the genre and the Total War formula's broad scope could certainly accommodate such a massive IP.
Adding weight to the possibility of a major cross-platform release, Creative Assembly also confirmed it has been developing a new game engine named Warcore. This engine is described as more powerful and visually impressive, and is specifically designed to work on unspecified PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The developers did not confirm which title would debut on consoles first, but a project tied to a giant IP like Star Wars would be a prime candidate.
Warhammer's Apocalyptic Finale and a Busy Studio
Alongside the future projects, the studio showcased the upcoming Lords Of The End Times DLC for the Total War: Warhammer trilogy. This apocalyptic coda will focus on Nagash, the King of the Dead, alongside three other iconic lords. A clever update system will allow owners of any of the three main games to access new content via a separate free update. The DLC is scheduled for release in summer 2026.
Creative Assembly, based in Horsham, UK, is evidently operating at full capacity. Beyond these announcements, the studio is also confirmed to be working on Alien: Isolation 2, although no details have been shared about that sequel yet. For strategy fans, the future looks packed with both the confirmed return to medieval warfare and the tantalising possibility of a galactic conflict.
