According to Kotaku, Creative Assembly has officially announced Total War: Medieval III, marking the return of the historical sub-series after a 19-year gap since 2006’s Medieval II. The announcement came as part of the franchise’s 25-year anniversary celebration. The game is currently in early pre-production and will be built on the studio’s next-generation “Warcore” engine. Creative Assembly promises a more detailed tease at The Game Awards in December 2025. Notably, the game is confirmed for “PlayStation and Xbox,” a first for the mainline series, with vague platform naming hinting at a potential next-gen console release window.
The Long Road Back
Here’s the thing: 19 years is an eternity in gaming. The last Medieval game launched the same year as the Nintendo Wii. The core Total War audience has been begging for this sequel through the entire fantasy-focused Warhammer trilogy and other historical titles like Three Kingdoms. And you can feel that pent-up demand in the fan reactions. Relief, excitement, but also a palpable fear that Creative Assembly might “mess this one up.” After some recent high-profile stumbles with other titles, that anxiety isn’t unfounded. The studio is basically walking a tightrope between nostalgia and modern expectations.
What Medieval 3 Needs To Be
So what does a successful Medieval III even look like in 2025 or beyond? The press release talks about a “legendary predecessor” and a “bold revolution,” which is the kind of corporate speak that sounds great but means little. The real blueprint might be in Kotaku’s own retrospective. They praised Medieval II for its “purest expression of melee combat” but knocked its “archaic strategic component.” That’s the key. The new game has to deliver those epic, sprawling castle sieges and cavalry charges that fans dream of, but without the clunky, outdated campaign map management that plagues revisiting the old games. It needs to be a modern Total War under the hood, with a medieval skin on top. Can they pull it off?
The Console Question And Engine Hopes
Now, that “PlayStation and Xbox” line is fascinating. It doesn’t specify PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. That, plus the “early pre-production” status and a teaser scheduled for *next year’s* Game Awards, strongly suggests this is a late-decade game. We’re probably looking at a launch that aligns with the PS6 and next Xbox. That’s a huge deal. Porting the complex, PC-centric Total War experience to a controller has always been a challenge. Building it from the ground up with consoles in mind could force a beneficial streamlining of the UI and controls for everyone. And a new engine? After the performance issues that have dogged recent titles, a fresh start on new tech is probably the best news of all.
A Waiting Game
Basically, this is the ultimate “hurry up and wait” scenario. The announcement is a huge relief for fans who thought this day would never come. But we’re looking at a development tunnel that’s years long. The good news? It gives Creative Assembly the time they desperately need to get it right. The pressure is immense. This isn’t just another sequel; for a huge part of the strategy community, it’s *the* sequel. Let’s hope they use all that time wisely.
