{
  "id": 7035056,
  "title": "Playing RTS with a controller? Total War: Warhammer 40,000 dev says it 'really does work' in their game: 'I think we've landed in a really solid spot'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/13/playing-rts-with-a-controller-total-war-warhammer-40-000-dev-says-it",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-13T01:31:18.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PC Gamer",
    "slug": "pc-gamer",
    "url": "https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/playing-rts-with-a-controller-total-war-warhammer-40-000-dev-says-it-really-does-work-in-their-game-i-think-weve-landed-in-a-really-solid-spot/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Creative Assembly, the developer behind Total War: Warhammer 40,000, believes that using a gamepad for the real-time strategy (RTS) genre is not only possible but also effective. The studio's battle product owner, Dave Petry, made this assertion at Gamescom, stating that it's a myth that controller support doesn't work for the RTS genre. He emphasized that controllers are merely an input method and an accessibility tool, allowing players to enjoy the game in the way they prefer.\n\nPetry cited Halo Wars 2 as a prime example of a well-implemented controller and RTS game, though he acknowledged the simplicity of that title. In contrast, Age of Empires 2 on Xbox required automated villagers to manage resources and construction due to the difficulty of micromanagement with twin sticks. However, Total War games handle building and tech trees through a turn-based campaign, focusing the real-time battles on the strategic gameplay.\n\nWhile some aspects of the RTS genre may feel less intuitive with a controller, such as cycle-charging or drawing missile fire, Petry expressed confidence that Creative Assembly can refine the experience as they develop and release the game. He expressed pride in the studio's technical progress and stated that they are \"quite proud of where we are\" when it comes to the technical side of things.",
  "summary": "But how will we press \"J\" to make a unit about-face?",
  "key_points": [
    "Creative Assembly's battle product owner Dave Petry says gamepad support works for RTS genre.",
    "Halo Wars 2 demonstrates effective controller implementation for RTS.",
    "Total War games use turn-based campaign to ease RTS micromanagement challenges."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Using a controller for real-time strategy games gains more credibility as Creative Assembly's Total War: Warhammer 40,000 shows promise in making it work effectively.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}