Total War Goes To China In 'Three Kingdoms'

After a crazy detour from historical epochs into the fantasy world of Warhammer, the Total War franchise is returning to its roots for its next installment. Total War: Three Kingdoms brings the series to a never before explored region: China. 

That's right. This is not a drill: the next big Total War, which will be out this September, is set in 190 CE (or A.D. for those of you who use the Christian year naming system), simulates the battlefields of Ancient China. 

The Total War series blends pausable real-time combat with grand strategy and began way back in 2000 with Shogun: Total War, blending the feudal Asian milieu with real-time strategy, while most of y'all's were playing Battle Realms. 

Over the years, Creative Assembly has set the series in ancient Rome, medieval Europe, revolutionary France and the rise of America. Setting the next Total War game in ancient China is good timing given the growing Chinese user base on Steam. 

According to Creative Assembly, the game will focus on an empire in chaos while a child sits as emperor. “He is but a figurehead; a mere puppet for the tyrant warlord Dong Zhuo. It is a brutal and oppressive regime, and as Dong Zhuo’s power grows, the empire slips further into the cauldron of anarchy.” Check out the announcement cinematic:

Total War: Three Kingdoms will be borrowing some of the most RPG-ish concepts from Total War: Warhammer, most notably an emphasis on hero units, who defend, or potentially betray, the child emperor. The game is billed as a “historical strategy game,” so expect a healthy dose of lore to accompany promotional footage in the months leading up to release.