The new version has faced a barrage of complaints, including accusations genAI has been used to upscale art
Total War: Shogun 2's Complete Edition is set to be pulled from stores by publishers Sega and developers Creative Assembly, who've admitted that it fell short of both player expectations and its creators' standards. The studio and their overlords have pledged to "investigate the issues" with the game and will be reinstating the original version of Shogun 2 as the purchasable one while they do so.
"We’re aware that Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards," the pair wrote in a statement posted to Steam and Sega's socials. "We’ve seen your feedback, comments, and reviews. We agree that the current experience is not where it needs to be.
"As a result we are working with platform holders to remove the game from sale and to reinstate the original game while we investigate the issues. Existing owners will still be able to access and play the game. We are working closely with our development partner to identify the causes of these problems, deliver improvements, and ensure Shogun 2 – Complete Edition meets the quality standards players expect from Total War."
— SEGA (@sega-west.bsky.social) 15 October 2026 at 14:04
The Complete Edition's Steam reviews currently sit at the overwhelmingly negative mark. There's some variety in the complaints, but the kicker is folks accusing Sega and Creative Assembly of having used generative AI to upscale the game's unit cards and not having disclosed that properly.
If those allegations turn out to be accurate, the complete edition will likely be sporting one or both of some new card art or an AI use disclosure whenever it makes its way back onto the store. If you'd already bought that version, you'll be able to keep on playing it from your library during its absence from sale, with the same having applied to the original while it was on vacation immediately following the complete edition's arrival on October 13th.
For a rundown of all the positive tweaks the complete ediion was supposed to make, here's some news on that from Edwin, who I bet's rather glad he didn't end up using it as an excuse to finally play Shogun 2 for the first time.