We've been working with the guys at Activision for only a short time now, but it's already becoming clear that it was a great choice. Also, we thought that Medieval: Total War had a lot to offer Activision as a flagship real-time strategy game that could go right to the top of the strategy genre as it moved to the next generation. In particular, we were impressed by their understanding of the games and by their aggressive attitude to getting behind the release. With that in mind, we thought that it made sense to look at our options, and after we talked to a number of different publishers, Activision came out in front for a number of reasons. EA did an excellent job with Shogun: Total War, and we're still on very good terms with them, but our plans for Medieval: Total War are significantly more ambitious than those of Shogun: Total War, and going to the next level requires a different sort of relationship with the publisher. Michael de Plater: Right from the first time we met with Activision, it was clear that they shared our enthusiasm for the games and our vision for the future of Total War.
Can you explain why Electronic Arts isn't publishing the game, considering that it was the publisher of Shogun: Total War and the Shogun: Total War Warlord Edition? GameSpot: Activision recently announced that it would publish Medieval: Total War. The game's impressive 3D engine will be able to draw thousands of units at once.
To find out more about this promising strategy game, we sat down with Creative Assembly's Michael de Plater, Total War's creative director. Among other improvements, the sequel features an enhanced 3D engine that can render an astounding 10,000 troops in battle. Called Medieval: Total War, this latest game in the company's strategy game franchise takes place in Europe during the Middle Ages and lets you control one of 12 countries throughout 400 years of history. What was surprising, however, was that Activision-not rival Electronic Arts, which had handled the publishing duties of Creative Assembly's previous Total War games-announced that it would be publishing this sequel. With the popularity of the company's Total War franchise rising, it was no surprise that a third game would be in the works, and sure enough, rumors about the existence of a sequel started surfacing a few months ago. Called The Mongol Invasion, this expansion pack takes place some 250 years before Shogun: Total War, and it is much better than the original game in so many ways that the original was made almost obsolete. The UK-based developer expanded on its original game with an add-on that was released a few months ago. Creative Assembly's Shogun: Total War was lauded by many for its ability to blend turn-based strategy elements and real-time combat into a cohesive strategy game that focused on a setting that's often ignored in computer games: medieval Japan.