2025 is a big year for the mainstay real-time strategy franchise Total War, as the first title was released in June of 2000. Series developer Creative Assembly has been celebrating the quarter-century mark throughout the year, and it all manifested in their digital showcase on December 4th. Titled the “Total War – 25th Anniversary Showcase,” the event advertised that it would provide clarity on the future of the franchise.

Primarily, it promised to announce three things. First, what is next for Warhammer 3: Total War, which is a central pillar of Creative Assembly’s output. Secondly, it would announce the next historical title in the series, as the last had been the Egypt-oriented Total War: Pharaoh in 2023. Last, we would learn what is next for the developers of Warhammer 3, dubbed the “fantasy team”, as the series comes to an end. It promised to be quite exciting, and to leave players satisfied with a clear picture of Total War’s future.

Unfortunately, the event did not live up to expectations for many fans.

It certainly delivered on one pillar, namely the future of Warhammer 3, via the upcoming DLC pack Lords of the End Times. Over half of their hour-long showcase was spent fleshing out the upcoming apocalyptic scenario in pain-staking detail, with a pretty CGI trailer and even some in-game footage to go along. The primary focus of the DLC, the introduction of Warhammer lore titan Nagash the Supreme Lord of the Undead, was covered in great detail. I’m certain that fans of Warhammer 3 feel well served by the update.

As for the other two pillars… Not so much.

After the Lords of the End Times showcase wrapped up, we learned what the next historical Total War title will be, and the answer is Medieval 3: Total War! This in itself is tremendous for series fans, as a followup to the very dated Medieval 2 has been badly wanted. However the problem is that the announcement was simply that the game is in early pre-production. It had a live-action trailer with no gameplay, and the proceeding 20 minutes of discussion almost exclusively talked about what makes the medieval period interesting, and included almost no game details, aside some vagaries about making the experience more realm-focused as opposed to strictly conquest-oriented. Aside from a couple pieces of concept art, we were given nothing else, no gameplay, no factions, no idea what will make it unique. Many fans liken it to the infamous reveal of Elder Scrolls 6.

Surely then, the final announcement would provide? An explanation of what the fantasy team is up to post-Warhammer 3? The presentation even finished off with Nintendo’s patented “one more thing to show you” move, however this final announcement was not a trailer. Rather, it was an announcement that the fantasy team’s next game will be debuted during The Game Awards, on December 11. That’s right, the finale to their 25th anniversary presentation was an announcement of an announcement.

So to summarize, there was a half hour spent on discussion of a DLC, the idea of Medieval 3 was presented, and an announcement that there will be a further announcement at The Game Awards. That is the totality of Creative Assembly’s 25th anniversary celebration. To call it underwhelming is perhaps generous.

I am not alone in feeling this way.

Tensions in essentially any Total War fan community one can find, is palpable. The top rated thread within the last week on the Total War subreddit is one which mocks the Medieval 3 announcement, and on X, the replies under the official announcement post are no better. Not to mention the YouTube comments. The general sentiment is very much, “this could have been an email.”

Honestly, it is hard to blame the fanbase for being upset. Creative Assembly is historically a company that has very poor communication with their fans, and has very little goodwill to spare. The past decade has seen the company bounce from controversy to controversy. From the infamously bad launch of Rome II, to a number of bungled DLC-related Warhammer 3 issues, and the spectre of the failed Hyenas hanging over them, Total War fans have a jaded approach to just about anything the company does. Spending a year hyping up a 25th anniversary showcase, only for it to announce a DLC, a game in early pre-production, and the promise of a later announcement, feels hilariously on-brand for Creative Assembly.

Personally, I can’t deny that I am excited about the future of Total War. While I am primarily a fan of the historical titles, I also enjoy the Warhammer titles, and I think that Lords of the End Times looks phenomenal. I am ecstatic about Medieval 3, and while I am also skeptical about it being announced in early pre-production, I see this as a chance for Creative Assembly to break away from the Elder Scrolls 6 comparisons while also earning back goodwill, by having a genuinely open book development. Lastly, while I absolutely agree that ending your showcase with an announcement of an announcement is very silly, The Game Awards is not a long wait at all. So while I personally did enjoy the showcase, I do also understand the aggravated mood of the fanbase. Creative Assembly is reaping what they have sowed across many years.

How about you, what did you feel about the showcase? Are you annoyed as well, or do you believe the fanbase is overreacting? Let us know in the comments below!

Featured Image: Creative Assembly