Total War: Warhammer 3 Players Face With Removal Over Steam Boycotts
Creative Assembly recently issued a statement on its Steam forums banning “doomsaying, calls for boycotts” and more.
Total War: Warhammer 3 and the other titles under the Total War purview are in turmoil right now. After the release of Total War: Pharaoh and the price increase for Total War: Warhammer 3’s Shadows of Change DLC, fan furor seems to be at an all time high. CA has faced review bombs and more on its Steam page.
Now, the team has issued a statement on the Total War: Warhammer 3 Steam page, outlining their rules for moderation, in which they call out certain “Total War-specific actions which will lead to moderation.”
Creative Assembly – Steam Boycotts “Contribute Nothing”
In their post, Creative Assembly reiterate that criticism “is AND WILL ALWAYS BE welcome.” But what seems to have generated the post is, as CA puts it, “focusing entirely on the criticism without offering constructive solutions, thoughtful commentary, or including others in the conversation.” Per their statement on Steam:
Steam has long been a space where we’ve allowed people to create the space they want to talk and discuss the game. Unfortunately, over time, discussions have grown increasingly off-topic (i.e. less about the game itself, more focused on other games or the call for new games), unconstructive (critical without offering solutions, or solely aimed at creating arguments), focused on attacking or calling out specific individuals (CA Staff, influencers, or members of the community), rooted in speculation (rather than focusing on your experiences with the game), or otherwise violating the clear standards of discussion outlined by the Steam Posting Guidelines.
In addition to the general guidelines, CA outlines specific actions that will earn “moderation”.
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- Clear attempts to derail constructive conversation. If you disagree with someone, come to the conversation with a position and directly relate it your own experiences with the game. Use those experience to help shape what you want to say. Always maintain empathy for the people you’re engaged with, particularly during passionate discussions. Butif you’re here to be disruptive and behave inappropriately to others, you will no longer be welcome in this community.
- Responses aimed at undermining other players’ enjoyment of the game. You may dislike the game. You may post about problems with the game. You may even criticize the game (constructively). You may not criticize others for liking the game.
- Doomsaying, calls for boycotts, or spreading misinformation. Our official channels are focused on building a better future for the game. Doomsaying, calling for boycotts, or starting arguments based on misinformation contributes nothing to our community, and will result in our moderation teams stepping in to remove the content or individuals from the forum.
- Calls for new Total War titles. (Off-Topic posting.) This forum is to discuss WARHAMMER III. Comparisons to other games can be made as long as they are related to your commentary about WARHAMMER III.
Creative Assembly wraps up their community statement with the reassurance that anger and criticism are fine, so long as they are respectful and not antagonistic towards the community or developers.
Though they end by reminding everyone:
“The right to discuss is a privilege—it is not an entitlement you earn by playing the game—and in our official spaces, we will prioritize the ability of those who demonstrate that they can converse and disagree thoughtfully, constructively, and inclusively over those who aim to disrupt, derail, and diminish those contributions.”
More on the story as it develops.
