Wargaming, Sega and Creative Assembly form joint publishing label

A new publishing label has been created as a result of a strategic partnership between Sega, Creative Assembly and Wargming. The label, known as Wargaming Alliance, will be responsible for helping third-party publishers and developers enter the free-to-play market.

The first release from the conglomerate will be Total War: Arena, a free-to-play game based on Sega's famous series. With Total War being one of the most popular strategy franchises, the companies are hoping that its first foray into the highly competitive and crowded free-to-play market will be just as successful.

“Sega is constantly exploring ways in which its diverse range of IPs can be brought to a wider gaming audience,” said Jurgen Post, President and COO at Sega Europe. “This strategic partnership with Wargaming, to release Total War: Arena as the first game on the Wargaming Alliance platform, presents a unique opportunity for Creative Assembly’s eagerly anticipated creation to realize its full potential. Working with Wargaming, a market leader in the free-to-play space, and by utilizing their extensive experience and expertise in this area, Sega is confident that Total War: Arena will become the worldwide hit it deserves to be.”

“For more than a decade, the Total War franchise has been the standard-bearer of strategy gaming thanks to its trademark gameplay and a focus on authenticity. The free-to-play market is an exciting new opportunity for the franchise and in the last year we have seen great potential with Total War: Arena,” said Tim Heaton, Studio Director at Creative Assembly. “The partnership with Wargaming Alliance is a perfect match of proven strategy gaming brands. We are excited to collaborate with the creators of the globally successful World of Tanks in bringing Total War: Arena to gamers.”

“For the past seven years, Wargaming has worked hard to establish itself as an industry leader in publishing games within the free-to-play area,” said Vladimir Makarychev, Head of Wargaming Alliance. “Through the Wargaming Alliance label we hope to share our knowledge with other companies entering this highly competitive landscape and are extremely excited to partner with Sega and Creative Assembly to ensure Total War: Arena is a resounding success.”