Total War developer Creative Assembly has employed a Trojan horse of sorts, a diversionary tactic to distract from its original plan. Don't worry, this horse comes bearing gift -- and you know what they say about gift horses.
Total War Saga: Troy will no longer be launching on Steam. Epic has swooped in and secured Troy exclusivity for one year. It releases on the Epic Games Store on August 13, 2020; it releases on Steam on August 13, 2021.
However, Total War Saga: Troy will be free on launch day. For 24 hours on August 13, anyone who claims the newest Total War on the Epic Games Store will get to keep it permanently. Free stuff is your one Achilles heel. We'll be sure to remind you when it's time to pick it up.
In the announcement post, Creative Assembly goes to great lengths to justify the decision. Pre-orders hadn't yet opened on Steam (so no one had put actual money down), this will expose Total War to a much larger audience, the Saga offshoot series is about experimenting and moving to Epic is a grand experiment, etc. But, the biggest reason isn't mentioned: Epic will guarantee enough sales to cover development costs, automatically making Total War Saga: Troy profitable. That alone is justification enough.
A Total War Saga: Troy on Epic Games Store [Total War]
