The Creative Assembly, the developer of Total War, announced a spin-off series of the franchise – called the Total War Saga – earlier this year in July. The developer has now unveiled the first game in its new series, Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia. The historical strategy game is currently expected to arrive in 2018 and will take place in the period of history following the Viking Invasion of Britain, in 878 A.D.
Thrones of Britannia now has a Steam page, which offers the following summary of the game:
The year is 878 AD, the embattled English king Alfred the Great has mounted a heroic defence at the battle of Edington, and blunted the Viking invasion. Chastened – but not yet broken – the Norse warlords have settled across Britain. For the first time in nearly 80 years, the land is in a fragile state of peace.
Throughout this sceptered isle, the kings of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales sense a time of change approaching; a time of opportunity. There will be treaties. There will be war. There will be turns of fortune that become the stuff of legend, in a saga that charts the ascent of one of history’s greatest nations.
Kings will rise. One will rule.
In a press release, series director Mike Simpson commented, ““Our aim with Total War Sagas is to explore key flashpoints at distinct places and times in history. Unlike our era-spanning titles, we’re putting defined geographical areas under the microscope, building super-detailed campaign maps with a strong cultural focus and flavour that players can dive into. This will complement our broader-scope titles perfectly.” According to the press release, “Britannia is a furnace of possibilities, from which the template for modern Britain will be forged, across the most detailed Total War campaign map ever made.”
Thrones of Britannia will be available for PC in 2018; The Creative Assembly estimated on the game’s FAQ page that we should be seeing gameplay footage in the spring. You can watch the reveal trailer below.