THE CRUNCH
Sega and Creative Assembly have pulled Total War: Shogun 2 Complete Edition from storefronts just 48 hours after launch, saying the remaster of the 2011 strategy classic has "fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards". The game had an "Overwhelmingly Negative" rating on Steam, with a review score of around 15% reported by TechPowerUp. Player complaints centred on bugs, poor performance, a poorly thought out UI, and artwork that users believe was mangled by AI upscaling.
Complete Edition bundled the original game and all of its DLC with promised upgrades, including improved visuals, 1440p and 4K UI scaling and modernised controls. The AI complaints relate to upscaling and artwork, with posts on Reddit showcasing images users believe AI messed up, rather than any gameplay feature.
Sega says it will reinstate the original Total War: Shogun 2 for purchase once the remaster is removed, while existing owners of Complete Edition will still be able to access it. The companies say they are working with their development partner to identify the causes of the problems and deliver improvements. A studio called Mataboo is also listed as a developer on the game's Steam page.