Shogun 2 Remaster Pulled From Sale After Fan Backlash

Did you pick up the Shogun 2 remaster only to wish you hadn't? You're not alone. Just two days after its disastrous release, Sega has announced it's pulling Total War: Shogun 2 - Complete Edition from sale and putting the original back up while it sorts things out.

So what exactly happened here? Back in September, Sega revealed a remaster of Total War: Shogun 2, set to launch just a month later. PC Gamer's Sean Martin was hyped, but after a test run in October, he wasn't entirely impressed. "Any reason to return to Shogun 2 in 2026 is something to be celebrated," he wrote, "but I just wish Complete Edition felt more extensive and essential versus leaving so much undone." The next day, the Complete Edition launched on Steam, and it was ugly. Thousands of negative user reviews piled up, driven by old bugs, ignored quality-of-life complaints, and accusations—unconfirmed so far—of undisclosed generative AI use. Adding insult to injury, Sega had pulled the original from sale before the Complete Edition even launched.

After two days of silence, Sega finally made a move. The company said "the current experience is not where it needs to be," and that it's "working with platform holders to remove the game from sale and to reinstate the original game while we investigate the issues." Anyone who bought the Complete Edition will still have access to it, but Sega didn't clarify how—or if—they'll be able to go back to playing the original version.

Pulling the remaster and restoring the original is obviously the right call, and Sega's message promises improvements to bring the game more in line with expectations. Hopefully we'll see some of the more glaring bugs and QoL issues resolved. But all of this is still a very bad look for Creative Assembly, which has had an up-and-down history with its games and players over the years.

It's a particular shame coming so soon after the company's successful launch of the Lords of the End Times expansion for Total War: Warhammer, which has been widely praised. The announcement of Total War: Warhammer 40k also has a lot of RTS fans—and WH40K sickos—very excited, and nonsense like this really takes the wind out of those sails. If Shogun 2 - Complete Edition was allowed out the door in this condition, how are fans supposed to expect better in the future?

A few fans have also pointed out that in 2024, Sega's Aegis-CWA union accused the company of outsourcing QA and some localization services, resulting in the layoffs of 61 people. As of this writing, Shogun 2 - Complete Edition remains available for purchase on Steam, GOG, and the Epic Games Store—Sega hasn't specified when it will be removed. It also hasn't responded to the gen AI accusations; PC Gamer has reached out and will update if they get a reply.

What do you think of Sega's decision? Will you be picking up the original while it's back?