Observed Signal · Oct 16, 2026 · Policy Update · Source: GamesIndustry.biz · Impact: 1/5 · Sentiment: Negative
Sega Pulls Total War: Shogun 2 Remaster Amid AI Backlash
Sega and Creative Assembly have temporarily removed Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition from sale following overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam, citing AI upscaling and performance issues. The remaster, launched on October 13, drew criticism from players who reported AI-generated artifacts such as extra fingers and armor merging into characters. The companies issued a joint statement acknowledging the game fell short of expectations and their own standards, and they are working with platform holders to reinstate the original game while investigating. They emphasized that existing owners can still play. This decision follows Sega's earlier use of generative AI in Crazy Taxi: World Tour, which had included a disclaimer. The article also includes a separate section on US game sales for September, unrelated to Sega.
This news is about a video game remaster being pulled due to AI issues, which is not relevant to AdTech, MarTech, advertising, or AI technologies for business use. It concerns a specific consumer product and does not impact the advertising technology industry.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Sega and Creative Assembly temporarily removed Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition from sale on October 16, 2026.
- The remaster received overwhelmingly negative Steam reviews since its October 13 launch due to AI upscaling and performance issues.
- Players reported AI-generated artifacts including extra fingers and armor merging into characters' bodies.
- Sega and Creative Assembly issued a joint statement acknowledging the game fell short of expectations and are working with platform holders to reinstate the original game.
- Sega had previously faced criticism for using generative AI in Crazy Taxi: World Tour, which included a generative AI disclaimer.
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Total War VP: Shogun 2 Complete Edition Not Developed by Creative Assembly
Creative Assembly has responded to the removal of Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition from sale amid generative AI concerns. Total War vice president Roger Collum clarified that the game was not developed internally, but by an external partner, and that it 'wasn't subject to our same internal reviews and quality assurance.' He acknowledged that the team 'took our eyes off its external development' and announced that a small team of senior developers is now working with Sega and the external developer to address the issues. Collum reiterated that Creative Assembly does not use generative AI to create game assets and demands the same from external partners. The situation is being investigated. The game was pulled last week after falling short of quality standards.
Marvel's Wolverine Leads US September Game Sales
Marvel's Wolverine topped US game sales in September, achieving the highest monthly dollar sales for a Sony-published title since Helldivers 2. Sony's PS5 continued strong momentum, with spending up 43% year-over-year and unit sales up 22%, leading to Sony's highest monthly hardware dollar share since May 2025. Overall hardware spending rose 12% to $362 million, while total content spending dropped 2% to $4.2 billion, with mobile down 14% and PC up 27%. Eight new games debuted on the US chart, with NBA 2K27 and EA Sports FC 27 also in the top five. Circana provided the data.
Roblox most-played game by hours, older players spend more
A report by Newzoo and GEEIQ reveals that Roblox generated 4.05 billion hours of playtime across PC and console in H1 2026, making it the most-played game by total hours. The report highlights Roblox's maturing audience, with 80% of players over 16 spending money on games in the past six months, compared to 59% of non-Roblox players. The report also notes that lapsed players often move to other live-service titles like Fortnite or realistic shooters. Roblox is investing in improved graphics and age verification to retain older users. The report also analyzes brand activations on Roblox, finding that only 15 video game industry activations occurred since 2021, with Ubisoft leading. The report concludes that while Roblox is not yet a AAA threat, its audience is growing and worth watching.
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