Highlights

  • Total War fans eagerly await Creative Assembly's next move after the success of Warhammer trilogy.
  • Rumors suggest a crossover with Star Wars, promising an exciting blend of strategy and sci-fi elements.
  • While a Total War: Star Wars game would be a major departure, Creative Assembly has experience in sci-fi with Halo Wars.

Since the massive critical and commercial success of the Total War: Warhammer trilogy, Total War fans have been waiting to see where Creative Assembly will take the franchise in the future. Although the studio has released a couple of historical strategy games in between, all eyes are on what IP the studio plans to crossover with next. Recently, rumors began to circulate that the next major IP will be none other than the iconic Star Wars franchise.

If Total War is truly planning on crossing over with Star Wars, then that sounds like a recipe for success. Combining the tried-and-true massive strategy battles Creative Assembly is known for with the expansive galaxy far, far away could result in one of the best strategy games in years and may even finally give Empire at War fans their long-awaited follow-up. However, although that does sound exciting, there is a strong chance that whatever this Star Wars strategy game is may look and operate much more like Halo Wars than a Total War game.

Total War Rome Star Wars
Related
Why Star Wars' Rumored Total War Adaptation is Exactly What the Series Needs

A recent rumor has surfaced claiming that Creative Assembly is working on a Star Wars Total War game, and that's something the franchise truly needs.

Star Wars Feels More Tailor-Made for the Halo Wars Formula

A Total War: Star Wars Game Would be a Risky Endeavor

If Creative Assembly were to delve into the Star Wars franchise, then that would be a major first for the Total War series. Up until now, the games have been relegated to either historical settings or the Warhammer fantasy era. Through all of that, the studio has stuck with more melee-based periods with only a couple of games adding guns to the mix. But even when there are guns, those guns are often more archaic versions, and the series has yet to really expand upon them further.

Since Total War has not even explored one of the World Wars or any sort of vehicle-based era, bringing the series to the Star Wars franchise would be a massive shift in direction. That galaxy not only has a wide assortment of vehicles and guns, but it would also require the studio to take the franchise to the stars with new space battles and multiple planets. All of that sounds like an intriguing premise, but with where the franchise is currently, it also seems like a very risky, and potentially even impossible, endeavor. However, that does not mean that a Total War: Star Wars game is out of the question.

Creative Assembly Has Already Played Around in Another Sci-Fi Universe

Just because Total War has not touched modern or futuristic settings does not mean Creative Assembly is avoiding them. In fact, the studio actually took another iconic sci-fi galaxy for a spin back in 2017. That adventure came in the form of Halo Wars 2, which served as a sequel to the 2009 strategy spin-off. And while the game may not have been a massive hit, it was still a worthy addition to the RTS genre.

Instead of following in Total War's footsteps, Halo Wars 2 was a different type of RTS experience. It still let players choose two different factions and had them duke it out on the battlefield, but instead of pitting massive armies against each other in a field, it was more similar to base-building games like Command and Conquer. That may have felt like a major departure for the studio, yet it worked out very well within the context of the Halo franchise.

Star Wars and Halo may have many differences, but at their core, they are both sci-fi franchises filled with warring factions. As of now, Creative Assembly has only explored that type of IP through the Halo Wars formula, so there is a strong chance that this is exactly what the developer is planning to do with Star Wars. Although it may be cool to see a Total War-like experience, that may be a bit too different from what has come before. Plus, fans have been clamoring for an Empire at War sequel for years, and the best way to deliver that would be through the Halo Wars framework.