Total War: Medieval 3 Announced as the ‘Rebirth of Historical Total War,’ New Total War Game to Be Revealed at The Game Awards

Creative Assembly has announced Total War: Medieval 3, the next mainline game in its long-running strategy series.

Unveiled at Creative Assembly’s 25th anniversary showcase, Total War: Medieval 3 is a return to the franchise’s historical roots, but, according to the developer, it is also a “bold revolution.” No release window was mentioned, but it sounds like a way off as Creative Assembly said the project was in early pre-production.

“Built as the ultimate medieval strategy sandbox, it will empower players to shape realms, rewrite history, and immerse themselves in the Middle Ages like never before,” Creative Assembly said. “Combining meticulous historical authenticity with unprecedented player agency, this is more than a sequel, it’s the rebirth of historical Total War.”

Creative Assembly announced the game with a live-action teaser and a selection of concept art, below.

The announcement of Total War: Medieval 3 comes alongside the reveal of the Warcore game engine, which Creative Assembly said is the “next evolution” of Total War’s proprietary engine.

“As the most advanced technological foundation in the franchise’s history, it empowers developers with a suite of tools that allows for gameplay to be more immersive, dynamic and responsive than ever before,” Creative Assembly said.

“Designed to evolve over time, it will continue to unlock new capabilities, ensuring the franchise stays at the cutting edge of strategy gaming for years to come.”

The Warcore engine means future Total War games can be released on PlayStation and Xbox for the first time, Creative Assembly added.

Creative Assembly also teased a new game announcement at The Game Awards on December 11. This will be Total War’s “next major release” and “represents one of the most ambitious projects in the franchise’s history, marking the beginning of an exciting new era.”

It’s a busy time for the Sega-owned studio, which is also working on continued updates to Total War: Warhammer 3, as well as Alien: Isolation 2. Check out everything announced at the Total War 25th Anniversary showcase right here.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.