Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition, the recently-released remaster of the original 2011 game, has been pulled from sale on all platforms. Gamers who already own the game still have access to it, but newcomers won’t be able to purchase the game Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition for the time being.
Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition‘s announcement was exciting for fans of the franchise and historical strategy games, as a number of additions and changes were revealed in advance. Among them, some of the most exciting were the reveal that the game would have improved visuals, modernized controls, and the addition of over 50 playable minor factions to select from. Owners of the original version of the game are also eligible to upgrade at a discount, but that’s on hold now that the remastered version has been pulled from stores.
Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition Pulled From Digital Retailers
Just two days after the release of the newly remastered version of Total War: Shogun 2, the game has been removed from sale. The removal was announced by Sega in a tweet, which apologized to gamers, acknowledged the negative feedback the game has received since its launch, and stated that the game hadn’t lived up to the Total War franchise name. According to the message, the original version of the game has been brought back to digital marketplaces temporarily, while the remastered version has been pulled while the teams at Sega and Creative Assembly figure out how to fix up the game. No indication was given regarding how long the updates might take, or what in all Sega intends to address among the complaints shared by fans.
The criticisms from players are varied, but have been substantial enough to drag the game down to an “Overwhelmingly Negative” review average on Steam. Players have said that the gameplay is largely unchanged, numerous bugs are present, and the AI of enemies is poor. Some have reported that the game isn’t optimized well on Steam, with frame rates tanking when they try to play. Gamers have also accused the developers of using AI to create the imagery in the game, with some images that appear to be upscaled having odd visual artifacts. Neither Sega nor Creative Assembly have confirmed or denied the AI claims being made.
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At the moment, it remains to be seen if the developers can bring the game up to the standard that players were expecting. Replacing AI-generated or AI-enhanced assets and improving optimization overall are within the realm of possibility, but completely retooling enemy AI could be a very time-consuming process. Sega will likely want to get the remaster back on the market as soon as possible, but ensuring that the final product is satisfactory is also a must. In the meantime, some players have already requested refunds for the game.
This is far from the first time that a remaster of a game has been lambasted by critics and fans. Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered was criticized by some for being a “pointless” remaster, for example, while Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster made changes to the game that were deemed controversial. While gamers have largely moved on from it, especially following the release of the Silent Hill 2 remake, the 2012 Silent Hill HD Collection was arguably one of the worst remasters in gaming, with the developers rebuilding the games from beta versions of the source code. With some luck, Sega and Creative Assembly are able to turn this situation around for fans of the Total War franchise.
- Released
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October 13, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Violence, Blood and Gore, Mild Sexual Themes, Language, Drug Reference, Users Interact
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
