Sega pulls the Shogun 2 Complete Edition remaster after a backlash

Sega is removing Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition from storefronts after a launch that drew heavy criticism from players over bugs and artwork that many users believe was upscaled with AI. The remaster went on sale earlier this week; Sega and developer Creative Assembly say they will reinstate the original game.

What's happening

According to The Verge, Complete Edition is a remaster of the 2011 strategy game Total War: Shogun 2. It launched on Tuesday and bundled the main game and all of its downloadable content with promised upgrades including "improved visuals", "1440p and 4K UI scaling" and modernised controls.

The reception was poor. The Verge reports the game holds an "Overwhelmingly Negative" rating on Steam, where it has already been pulled, and that posts on Reddit showcase artwork that users believe AI messed up. It is worth being precise here: the AI claim is what players believe based on the artwork, not a detail that the companies have confirmed — they describe the issues as bugs and quality problems rather than attributing them to AI.

Sega and Creative Assembly acknowledged the problems in a statement on the game's Steam page. "We're aware that Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards," they wrote. "We've seen your feedback, comments, and reviews. We agree that the current experience is not where it needs to be."

In the same statement, the two companies said they will "reinstate the original game", and that existing owners will "still be able to access" Complete Edition. They added that they are "working closely with our development partner to identify the causes of these problems, deliver improvements, and ensure Shogun 2 - Complete Edition meets the quality standards players expect from Total War". The Verge notes that a studio called Mataboo is also listed as a developer for the game on Steam, and that Mataboo highlights its work on the game on its website.

What the final outcome will be — whether the remaster returns in improved form, when, and with what fixes — is not yet known.

Who's affected

People who bought Complete Edition, who keep access to it but have faced a version that the companies themselves now say fell short of standards.
Existing owners of the original Total War: Shogun 2, who are set to get the original game reinstated rather than being forced onto the remaster.
Prospective buyers, since the Complete Edition has been pulled from sale, so it can no longer be purchased normally while this is sorted out.
Sega and Creative Assembly, which are now coordinating fixes with a development partner and dealing with reputational fallout.

What to do

If you already own Complete Edition, you keep access. The companies say owners will still be able to access it, even as it is pulled from sale.
If you own the original, expect it to be reinstated. The statement says the original game will return.
If you bought it and are unhappy, check your storefront's refund process (for example, Steam's standard refund policy) rather than waiting for a fix.
Watch the official channels. Follow the game's store page and Creative Assembly's announcements for news on fixes or a re-release. There is no confirmed timeline yet, so treat this as evolving.

Sources

The Verge — reports the removal, the Steam rating, the Reddit artwork complaints and the companies' statement.
Neowin — reports that Sega removed Complete Edition following community backlash over AI art errors and unfixed bugs.
Sega / Creative Assembly (Steam news) — the companies' own update, acknowledging the shortfall and committing to reinstate the original game.