It’s here. It’s real. Medieval 3: Total War has officially been announced

After two full decades and countless Total War entries, historical and otherwise, it is finally time to herald in the continuation of the series’ best subfranchise. Ladies and gentlemen, Medieval 3: Total War, the next chapter in CA’s longest-running TW, is officially on the way.

Announced during today’s 25th anniversary stream, Medieval 3: Total War is the next step both for the Medieval subfranchise and Total War as a whole. It’s built on a new engine, one that will, hopefully, elevate the overall experience to a new level.

Even CA says it’s “unlike anything we’ve worked with before,” and rich with tools that were “all designed to bring the medieval era to life in ways we’ve previously never been able to achieve.”

And it’s not only about graphics. Warcore, the new engine, will allow for incredibly detailed stories to be told on and off the battlefield, opening up many paths for alternate historical scenarios to emerge, from preventing Columbus’ trip to the Americas, safeguarding the future of the crumbling Kingdom of Jerusalem, preventing the disintegration of the Holy Roman Empire, and so on and so forth.

It seems CA is gunning for realism, replayability, and depth, and though the franchise has never lacked in any of those, there certainly was a lot of room for improvement.

And it’s only natural that Medieval would be the vessel toward a new state of Total War. It was the first subfranchise and historical period for the series, while Medieval 2 stands for many as the best in the franchise, ever.

There is no concrete release date yet, as the game is in “early pre-production,” but it’s at least an acknowledgement that it’s real and making its way, if slowly, toward us.