October 13’s launch of an “updated, enhanced, and complete version” of Total War: Shogun 2 did not go well. Releasing to an absolute onslaught of negative Steam reviews, based on a litany of issues from graphical problems, new and old bugs, a crummy UI, and the undeclared use of AI upscaling for in-game art, one of the most beloved PC games of all time has quickly become one of the most loathed. So much, in fact, that Sega has just announced its intention to pull the game from sale.
Aside from the very many issues with this botched attempt to revamp Total War: Shogun 2 for modern PCs, one of the most galling aspects of this re-release was Sega’s accompanying decision to pull all other versions of the game from sale at the same time. Gone was the bargain original, entirely replaced by this broken, AI-riddled mess, and all for a big price hike to $40. This too is to be reversed, according to a new statement from Sega. And it doesn’t pull any punches.
“We’re aware that Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards,” the company wrote in a statement posted to its X account. “We’ve seen your feedback, comments, and reviews. We agree that the current experience is not where it needs to be.”
— SEGA (@SEGA) October 15, 2026
Sega says it’s now working with platform holders to have the game “temporarily” removed from sale “while we investigate the issues,” although those who bought the remake will maintain their access. “We are working closely with our development partner,” the comments continue, “to identify the causes of these problems, deliver improvements, and ensure Shogun 2 – Complete Edition meets the quality standards players expect from Total War.”
The company also announces plans to reinstate sale of the previous version of the game, so those who want to run the classic in its original form will once more be able to. At least in the meantime.
What the comments don’t address is the use of AI, which has unambiguously been used in an attempt to enlarge a lot of the game’s artwork from the original’s teeny, blurry images. The results are often farcical, and clearly did not undergo sensible quality checks. (Alongside these, vast other sections of the in-game encyclopedia art hasn’t been upscaled at all, instead featuring the original versions in comically tiny postage stamps.) We’ve reached out to Sega and Creative Assembly to ask why the AI use hasn’t been acknowledged, and why the Steam store page still hasn’t been updated to include the required AI declaration.
How a game can be released in this state when it so obviously falls short remains a bizarre question, and while Sega is doing the right thing now, it does seem odd that there weren’t quality checks in place to prevent it happening in the first place.
At the time of writing the Steam store page for the updated version of Shogun 2 is still up, and is now down to just 17 percent positive reviews out of nearly 2,000. Presumably it’ll be gone soon, and the original (and more functional) version of the game will return. If you want help getting that working on your current PC, then head over here.