Thus Has It Ever Been
Just two years after its initial release, the turn-based real-time strategy title Total War: Three Kingdoms has received its last patch, 1.7.1, before developers Creative Assembly turn their sights to new projects. After breaking Steam sale records for the already hugely popular Total War franchise, Three Kingdoms will not be receiving any new updates or DLC from here on out.
Over its lifespan, Three Kingdoms received a total of six premium DLCs adding new content to the game, and a seventh adding new blood graphics. A two-year support period like this is not unheard of for Total War games – the fantasy battle game Total War: Warhammer was replaced by Total War: Warhammer 2 after two years, and Total War: Atilla stopped receiving updates just one year after launch. However, with Total War: Warhammer 2’s 4-year support period and Total War: Rome 2 still receiving support five years after its launch, it’s easy to see why fans would expect this massively popular title to continue getting updates for years to come.
Given the massive popularity of the title, there’s been an unsurprising uproar from fans. The game received over 1000 negative reviews on Steam immediately after the announcement, with players criticizing the lack of an expansion that developed the northern areas of the map similarly to how the Furious Wild expansion back in September 2020 brought the jungle-dwelling Nanman into the game.
However, all doesn’t seem to be lost when it comes to Total War: Three Kingdoms. Creative Assembly have announced that they are working on a new title based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the historical novel on which Total War: Three Kingdoms was based. The team have said that this new title intends to focus “more on the multitude of characters in this novel and their individual and unique narratives, while taking back the core of what made Total War: Three Kingdoms so special and taking it even further.”