The latest title in the vast Total War franchise was gearing for launch for a while before its developer and publisher announced the delay last year. On June 2, Creative Assembly and Sega revealed the release date for A Total War Saga: Troy.

The game launches as an Epic Games Store exclusive on August 13 and will maintain its exclusivity for 12 months. However, that’s not all. The game is free to claim, as long as it’s claimed within the initial 24 hours of release.

The developers explained their motivation behind the Epic exclusivity in a blog post.

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Reasons for Epic Games Store Exclusivity

A typical Total War title could turn out to be menacing for someone playing for the first time since the games link real-time strategic elements with large-scale battles. Creative Assembly is using the new game as an opportunity to expand its player base. However, they have no plans for Epic exclusivity in the future, and this remains unique only for Troy.

“As developers, we truly value our existing fans, but at the same time, we want to reach new audiences and have as many people as possible, experiencing the thrill of Total War for themselves. As a business, that means putting Total War onto new platforms so that it can reach more players,” they said.

The studio further provided insight into signing up for Epic’s commercial deal. First of all, they are looking to improve and evolve the ongoing developments by investing more in the franchise. Moreover, Epic offered to pay for players who claim Troy on the first day of release. So it’s a win-win situation for all the parties involved.

Creative Assembly also acknowledged that without Epic’s deal, it couldn’t have made A Total War Saga: Troy free to download.

“Making it available for free, for everyone to keep, during the first 24 hours – wouldn’t have been possible without this deal.”

They went on to reveal the game will eventually arrive on Steam after a year. You can read the studio’s detailed breakdown of the Epic Games Store exclusivity deal by clicking here.

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The gameplay of A Total War Saga: Troy

A Total War Saga: Troy takes place during the Trojan War in the Bronze Age and travels the furthest back in time within the series. Just like its predecessors, the game will emphasize real-time battles and grand, turn-based strategy featuring several hundreds of warriors. It blends historical events with mythological elements—gods, legends, myth, and monsters, the game has it all. All that will factor heavily in the gameplay.

Players can choose to play as heroes such as Achilles and Hector, among others. A total of eight heroes are present in the game, which also provides two different perspectives, Greek and Trojan, to explore the legendary conflict. Players will either fight to conquer the kingdom of Troy or protect it from the Greeks.

For now, the game will not support cross-platform play. For additional information about the game, click here.