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'Total War Saga: Troy' will initially be free on the Epic Games Store

You'll have 24 hours to snag a free copy on August 13th.

Creative Assembly / Sega

Epic Games Store exclusively is a touchy subject for some PC gamers, but developer Creative Assembly may have found a way to make the best of a potentially divisive situation. When Total War Saga: Troy, the studio's next game, comes out on August 13th, it will be exclusive to the Epic Games Store for one year. However, in the first 24 hours that it's available, you'll be able to download and keep the title for free. It will then make its way to Steam 12 months later on August 13th, 2021.

Creative Assembly said it sees the promotion as a way to introduce new players to its long-running grand strategy franchise, which can be intimidating if you've not played it before. "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," the studio said. "As a business that means putting Total War onto new platforms so that it can reach more players."

The developer went on to say it doesn't plan to make any of its future games Epic Games Store exclusives but noted it couldn't have made Troy free without Epic's help. "Making it available for free, for everyone to keep, during the first 24 hours – wouldn't have been possible without this deal," it said.

Total War Saga: Troy takes place during the Trojan War. Like in past Total War games, you’ll be able to manage your faction on a strategic map and then fight real-time battles that feature hundreds and sometimes thousands of individual warriors. In line with the game’s mythological inspiration, Homeric heroes like Achilles, Ajax the Great and Hector of Troy will fight alongside your armies. Creative Assembly’s Saga games usually have a narrower focus than the studio’s mainline Total War games, which should make this one a good introduction for new fans.