Creative Assembly is taking a bold step by developing Total War: Warhammer 40,000 for consoles, despite the conventional belief that RTS games are best suited for mouse and keyboard. Dave Petry, the studio’s battle product owner, has stated that they believe the idea that controllers can’t effectively support RTS games is a myth. He emphasized that controllers are simply another input method and that they want to provide an accessible experience for those who prefer gamepads.
Petry mentioned their experience from co-developing Halo Wars 2, highlighting it as a strong example of RTS gameplay optimized for controllers. However, he acknowledged the challenges of more complex games, referencing Age of Empires 2 on Xbox, which had to simplify mechanics due to the limitations of twin-stick controls. In Total War, while construction and tech development are turn-based, the real-time battles may still require thoughtful adaptations for controller use.
Petry is optimistic about their progress and is keen on continuing to refine the game’s mechanics for console play, stating that they are proud of the technical achievements thus far.
