Total War Arena, a free-to-play, more accessible take on the RTS series that never left beta, is shutting down. In a forum post, developer Creative Assembly announced that the game is closing its servers on February 22, 2019 because the game’s open beta didn’t live up to expectations.
“Unfortunately the results of Arena open beta test did not meet all our expectations,” Creative Assembly communications representative Joshua Williams said. “I would like to take a moment to thank the Arena Team, who have poured their heart and soul into this game’s development and are just as disappointed by this as you.”
Creative Assembly will continue to work on the Total War franchise, Williams confirmed, and those who worked on Arena will take the “experience and learnings” with the them. The “technical advancements” that Arena delivered will remain a part of the Total War series going forward.
“To you, the players and community, I have been inspired by your passion, your commitment and your continued valuable insight,” Williams said. “Your input and encouragement have been instrumental to the game’s development. I cannot emphasize enough how much we have enjoyed working and playing with you all, and I know that we will greatly miss speaking with you online, debating your feedback, and fighting alongside you on the battlefield.”
Everyone who played Total War Arena through publisher Wargaming’s Game Center platform can claim free DLC for a previous Total War game of their choosing. Your choices include:
- Total War: Medieval II – Definitive Edition
- Hannibal at the Gates (Total War: Rome II DLC)
- Age of Charlemagne (Total War: Atilla DLC)
- Grim and the Grave (Total War: Warhammer DLC)
Microtransactions for Total War: Arena and the ability to create a new account has now been disabled. Anyone who has spent money in Total War: Arena’s premium shop or purchased the starter pack before the closed beta started will get the equivalent value of any remaining currency to apply to World of Tanks, World of Warplanes, or World of Warships when the Total War Arena servers go down. Additionally, everyone who played 100 or more matches of Total War: Arena will get 30 days of premium account time for those three games.
You can see the full Total War: Arena shutdown FAQ here.
The upcoming closure of Total War: Arena is a bummer for those hoping to see the game eventually come to console, which was apparently potentially in the cards.
The next Total War game is Total War: Three Kingdoms, which launches for PC in March.
