The Total War: Shogun 2 remaster faced heavy criticism over alleged AI-generated assets and poorly-executed AI upscaling.
Sega has temporarily delisted Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition, the remastered version of its original 2011 game, from digital storefronts just three days after the game launched on 13 October.
The move follows a wave of backlash over the game's alleged use of AI, with fans pointing out suspected AI-generated artwork and poorly-executed AI upscaling. Many were also furious that Sega had seemingly “mistakenly” delisted the original game and, despite acknowledging the issue, failed to reinstate it immediately.
On 15 October, Sega announced that it was temporarily removing the game from sale while it “investigated the issues” and “delivered improvements”. The original game has since been reinstated on digital storefronts.
Sega's full statement reads as follows:
We’re aware that Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition has fallen short of both your expectations and our own standards," said a social media post published on Sega's official channels. "We’ve seen your feedback, comments, and reviews. We agree that the current experience is not where it needs to be.
As a result we are working with platform holders to temporarily remove the game from sale and to reinstate the original game while we investigate the issues. Existing owners will still be able to access and play the game.
We are working closely with our development partner to identify the causes of these problems, deliver improvements, and ensure Shogun 2 – Complete Edition meets the quality standards players expect from Total War.
Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition
Release date: 13 October 2026
Platforms: PC via Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store and GOG
Developer: Creative Assembly
Why did Sega delist Total War: Shogun 2 from sale?
Following the launch of the remastered edition of Total War: Shogun 2 on 13 October, complaints about its quality and AI-like visuals flooded the community. The game plummeted to an Overwhelmingly Negative rating on Steam, with 85% of reviews criticising the product.
A Reddit post highlighted suspected AI-generated artwork and assets in the game, featuring a before-and-after comparison of the original and remastered character design, plus an alleged AI-generated artwork. The post garnered 20,000 upvotes.
Some argued that the image in question was more indicative of poor AI upscaling than AI-generated artwork. Creative Assembly appeared to have opted for a low-cost upscaling solution, judging by the rough results. People even attempted to do their own AI upscaling on the original design and achieved somewhat better results.
Other assets also appeared to have been generated using AI. One piece of artwork depicting people aboard a ship showed body parts missing and blending into the vessel, resembling the kind of visual inconsistencies often associated with AI-generated images.
Players have also encountered six-fingered samurai in the game, a classic AI-generated asset indicator.
“[There were] more wonky design choices and off-putting animations and upscaled art. It has some really washed out colors and blinding brightness on the campaign map when zoomed closer, no real noticeable difference in battles except for the odd UI choices there, etc. Just a lot of things that make you think “Why would they choose to do this?"” a Reddit comment read.
Total War: Shogun 2 – Complete Edition has faced criticism across multiple aspects of its release, with fans questioning the quality of the remaster and the decisions behind it. Some have gone as far as accusing Creative Assembly of greed and laziness, with others describing the release as a cash grab.
In response to the overwhelming backlash, Sega has temporarily pulled the game from sale while the developers work to address the issues. Given the extent of the criticism, it remains to be seen whether the team can deliver the improvements needed to bring the remaster up to the standard fans expect, and how long that process will take.
