Publisher Sega and developer Creative Assembly has just announced that the next installment in the Total War series, A Total War Saga: Troy, will be launching for the PC via the Epic Games Store on August 13. The announcement also specified that the turn-based strategy game will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for a year and will be free to own forever for the first 24 hours after it releases.
In a message, Sega has expounded on their decision for an Epic Games Store exclusive. First off, they mentioned that the exclusivity deal is for Troy specifically and guarantees that future games will not be Epic exclusives. They have specified that the decision to stick with exclusivity for Troy is their aim to reach new audiences and “have as many people as possible experiencing the thrill of Total War for themselves”.
The Epic Games Store basically allows them to do this by (I’m assuming) giving a huge payout so that the game can be free for the first 24 hours, allowing players who are hesitant to spend money on a Total War title to experience it for free. At the risk of sounding elitist, it is true that grand strategy games are one of the hardest genres for a new players to get into; removing the first barrier, which is payment, is a good way to garner a larger audience. The message ended on a promise for more opportunities to work on more Total War titles and the request to keep any criticism regarding their decision to be directed towards the studio as a whole, and not to “take it out on any individual employees that you might find on various social media platforms”.
What do we know about A Total War Saga: Troy so far? It’s based on The Iliad by Homer and will have players assuming the role of one of eight iconic heroes such as Achilles, Hector, Paris, and Menelaus. Mythical units such as Achilles’ Myrmidons, minotaurs, cyclopses, giants, centaurs and more can be called upon to aid you in the heat of the battle, whether you’re for the sacking of Troy or not.
A Total War Saga: Troy will launch for PC via the Epic Games Store on August 13.
