Sunday the 14th of October marks the 952nd anniversary of the Battle of Hastings; a pivotal battle which took place in Britain in 1066. The battle changed the fate of the British Isles irrevocably, and was the last successful invasion of Britain ever to take place. To mark the anniversary, developer Creative Assembly has released a new 7-minute documentary video. “Rise and Fall of the Anglo Saxons” is a brief look at the history of the Battle of Hastings, and also shows a recreation of the battle in Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia.
The Battle of Hastings in Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia
The documentary includes an interview with Dr. Neil McGuigan of the University of St. Andrews. Creative Assembly previously consulted with Dr. McGuigan while developing Thrones of Britannia, which is set around 100-200 years prior to the Battle of Hastings. The “Total War Saga,” a new format of game from the studio’s previous titles, is set during the rise to power and reign of Alfred the Great. The documentary video begins around the same time and charts the period up to the defeat of King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Harold fell in battle against William the Conqueror, a Norman king whose title came from his successful conquest of Britain. The battle has become a particularly famous moment in British history.
All of the battle scenes shown in the documentary are recreations made in-game in Thrones of Britannia. It isn’t the first time Creative Assembly has used their games to illustrate history. The studio collaborated with the BBC from 2003 to 2005 for a TV series called Time Commanders. The show used a version of Rome: Total War, prior to the game’s release, and featured four contestants developing a strategy and attempting to win recreations of famous battles. A 3-part special of the series ran in December of 2016.