A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia announced
Party like it's 878 AD
The first Total War Saga, a new spin-off sub-series from the historical strategy games which will focus on very specific times and places, is off to good ol' Blighty. Sega today announced A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia, which travels back to Britain in 878 AD. While the focus is tighter, Creative Assembly say it will offer "the most detailed Total War campaign map ever made." They're not showing anything of the game yet but it's broadly Total War so I'm sure your imagination can fill in the details as you watch this animated announcement trailer:
The devs set up the situation:
"The year is 878 AD, the embattled English king Alfred the Great has mounted a heroic defence at the battle of Edington, and blunted the Viking invasion. Chastened – but not yet broken – the Norse warlords have settled across Britain. For the first time in nearly 80 years, the land is in a fragile state of peace.
"Throughout this sceptred isle, the kings of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales sense a time of change approaching; a time of opportunity. There will be treaties. There will be war. There will be turns of fortune that become the stuff of legend, in a saga that charts the ascent of one of history's greatest nations.
"Kings will rise. One will rule."
They've previously pointed to Shogun 2's standalone expansion Fall of the Samurai as an example of tight focus in Total War, the sort of thing they want in Sagas. More along those lines sounds good.
Thrones of Britannia is coming to Steam some time in 2018.
Creative Assembly are also working on a new historical Total War game set in an era the series hasn't visited before. And back in more familiar history, they're making another expansion for Rome II, named Empire Divided. Meanwhile in fantasyland, they're still building bits for Total Warhammer II and a third game.