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Sega Encourages Staying at Home With Free-to-Keep Total War Game

Total War: Shogun 2 is free on Steam until Friday, May 1 while the rest of the Total War series goes on sale.

 & Matthew Humphries Former Senior Editor

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As the coronavirus pandemic continues, we all need new distractions to help see us through each day of lockdown. This week, it's Sega offering up a great distraction for free.

From today until Friday, May 1, Sega is offering Total War: Shogun 2 for free and to keep forever. The strategy game was developed by The Creative Assembly as part of its Total War series and offers a mix of turn-based strategy and real-time tactical gameplay. Shogun 2 is set in the middle of the 16th Century in Feudal Japan, and the player is tasked with taking on the role of, "Daimyo, the clan leader, and use military engagements, economics and diplomacy to achieve the ultimate goal: re-unite Japan under his supreme command and become the new Shogun – the undisputed ruler of a pacified nation."

In the FAQ, Sega explains that it's offering Shogun 2 as free-to-keep because, "The past few weeks have presented unimaginable challenges for many of us, but the remarkable collective effort being made by the global community to overcome this moment of adversity has been truly inspirational ... we want to continue to encourage you all to stay home and save lives by extending a gift to everyone to help make this difficult situation a little bit easier."

Alongside the free game, Sega launched a sale which runs from today until May 4. It includes all historical Total War games and DLC packs. The reason the sale runs longer than the free game giveaway is because Sega will add Shogun 2 to the sale at a 75 percent discount for the last three days. Total War: Shogun 2 is available for free on Steam, where you can also find all the sale items available to purchase.

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Matthew Humphries

Matthew Humphries

Former Senior Editor

My Experience

I started working at PCMag in November 2016, covering all areas of technology and video game news. Before that I spent nearly 15 years working at Geek.com as a writer and editor. I also spent the first six years after leaving university as a professional game designer working with Disney, Games Workshop, 20th Century Fox, and Vivendi.

I hold two degrees: a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and a Master's degree in Games Development. My first book, Make Your Own Pixel Art, is available from all good book shops.

My Areas of Expertise

  • PC components and system building
  • Raspberry Pi
  • Software development
  • Storage technology
  • Video games and gaming hardware

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