As long as video games have existed, there have been strategy games. Players are endlessly fascinated with diplomacy, socioeconomics, and conflict, especially from the historical standpoint offered by franchises like Civilization and Age of Empires. And while strategy games have fluctuated in popularity over the decades, there’s one series that’s endured through it all: Total War.
The grand strategy series has immersed players in historical settings, like Ancient China, as well as the dark and disturbing fantasy worlds of Warhammer. The key to its success is a formula that’s distinct from anything else out there and nearly impossible to replicate. With Sega set to unveil the future of the Total War franchise on December 4, Inverse talked to longtime game director Pawel Wojs about why the series has had an enduring legacy, even as it’s had to adapt to the industry’s shifting landscape.
