After almost 20 years, Creative Assembly announces the long-awaited Total War: Medieval 3

Creative Assembly has finally confirmed that Total War: Medieval 3 is in development. This has been a long-time coming for fans of the studio's historical strategy installments, with Total War: Medieval 2 having launched almost two decades ago.

Total War: Medieval 3 was announced at the 25th Anniversary Showcase on December 4, which Creative Assembly used to unveil the future of its long-running series. This included a massive new update to Total War: Warhammer 3 set to release next summer, a new game engine designed to bring future Total War games to Playstation and Xbox, and a tease of another announcement at The Game Awards on December 11.

It was Medieval 3 that stole the spotlight though. The game has entered early pre-production, with Creative Assembly opting to unveil its "ultimate medieval strategy sandbox" early in an effort to maintain stronger dialogue with its community throughout development. The studio says that Medieval 3 will "empower players to shape realms, rewrite history, and immerse themselves in the Middle Ages like never before" as it promises a "rebirth of historical Total War."

Creative Assembly stopped short of announcing a release window or platforms, but it's good to see the series returning to an era of history that inspired some of the best Total War games.

You'll find more than one Total War title in our list of the best strategy games out there, and a return to the classic days of Medieval could take the series to even great heights than ever before. In the meantime, check out our big interview with the Total War devs and our breakdown of everything announced at the Total War 25th Anniversary Showcase.