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RTS Controller Myth Busted by Total War Dev
7 Sep
Summary
- Controller support developed alongside game's battle system.
- Devs believe controllers can work for real-time strategy games.
- Total War: Warhammer 40,000 releases in 2027.

Creative Assembly has successfully integrated controller support into the upcoming Total War: Warhammer 40,000, challenging the long-held notion that real-time strategy (RTS) games are incompatible with gamepads. The development team, led by battle product owner Dave Petry, focused on creating a seamless experience by developing the controller functionality in parallel with the game's core battle and campaign systems.
Petry shared that the team is proud of their technical accomplishments, stating they have "landed something that really does work." He cited past experiences, including work on Halo Wars 2, as evidence that effective controller implementation in RTS is achievable. This commitment aims to broaden accessibility for players who prefer using a gamepad.
Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is scheduled to launch in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Series S, and PC. The studio is dedicated to refining this controller integration further as they continue to develop and support the game post-launch.