Strategy and Wargaming News – 14 December 2025 – Total War: Warhammer 40,000; Phoenix Point Firebird Update; Sins of a Solar Empire 2 Overhaul

Major News As Total War Warhammer 40,000 Is Real, Phoenix Point Receives Another Major Update, and Sins of a Solar Empire Changes Warfare And Much More

This is likely the last Firaxis News update of 2025, and it’s full of exciting news! Warhammer and turn-based strategy fans will be thrilled with a large new update for Phoenix Point. Real-time strategy players have a new update to enjoy in Sins of a Solar Empire over the holidays. And for those who love wargames, the Wargame Design Studio Holiday sale is now on, with lots of great titles available.

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 Confirmed

Creative Assembly followed up a disappointing anniversary event with a big reveal at The Game Awards: Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is officially in development. The trailer offered a first look, and it’s surprisingly authentic to the 40k universe – it doesn’t just seem like a reskin of Empire: Total War with futuristic weapons and Orks.

During a recent interview, developers explained that the game’s design prioritizes faithfully bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to the Total War formula, rather than trying to fit Total War into Warhammer 40,000. Built on the new Warcore engine, the game promises epic battles featuring orbital strikes, destructible environments, and large-scale interplanetary warfare, based on the details released so far.

The game will initially feature four playable factions: Space Marines, Orks, Aeldari, and the Astra Militarum. It’s a bit unexpected to see the Astra Militarum as a separate faction, as I thought the game would treat all human forces as part of a single Imperium faction. This makes me wonder if players will be able to command Space Marines against the Astra Militarum within the campaign.

I’m really looking forward to this project because it’s a significant change of direction for Creative Assembly. I’m eager to see what the new engine is capable of and what fresh gameplay experiences and worlds it will enable.

It also helps fuel my excitement that I really enjoy Warhammer 40.000 lore.

Phoenix Point Gets A Huge Update

I remember when Phoenix Point first came out – it felt a little underwhelming, honestly. There were some technical issues, and it launched exclusively on the Epic Games Store, which wasn’t ideal for a lot of us. It seemed like it might just fade away, but I’m so glad it didn’t! Over the last five years, it’s been consistently updated and has slowly built up a really dedicated fanbase. It’s become a bit of a cult classic among turn-based strategy fans like me, and it’s fantastic to see it thriving now.

Many of the changes the new Firebird update brings are directly inspired by the famous mod Terror From the Void, and the team worked closely with them to make sure that the fan-favorite mod didn’t break with this update. Here’s a birdseye view of what changed:

Faster campaign pacing and player progressions: research times and construction times for faction-ending projects have been massively reduced.
Economic adjustments: Reduced ammo production and facility construction.
New manufacturing screen.
Late game adjustments to enemy scaling.
Balancing changes.
Bug fixes.

The community loved it, with players thanking the team for continuing to improve the game even after its release. I’ve played it a few times and haven’t gotten around to writing a review yet, but maybe I’ll do so in 2026.

Sins of a Solar Empire 2 “Diplomatic Repercussions” Update

Stardock Entertainment has just released a big, free update for Sins of a Solar Empire 2, called “Diplomatic Repercussions.” Version 1.5 completely revamps the game’s diplomacy system, giving players more ways to manage alliances and rivalries. The AI is also smarter now, considering more factors when deciding how to interact with you. The update includes new Quick Start options to let you begin games in the middle or near the end, plus improvements to the AI, the game’s economy, and the tech tree. It’s great to see this already excellent real-time strategy game continuing to improve! Other additions include more detailed orbital visuals, like shuttle traffic, for a more immersive experience, and a reworked economy that focuses more on building orbital structures.

Rising In The Ranks As A Napoleonic Soldier

I was immediately intrigued when Luke Hughes, the lead developer of my favorite game from 2025, Burden of Command, contacted me about his new project, Shadow of the Eagles. This game, being independently developed by Burden of Command writer Paul Wang, is a text-based military simulator set during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Players begin as a volunteer soldier in 1792 and can experience battles, earn renown, engage in intrigue, gather loot, and climb the ranks through historical events like the Reign of Terror and the Waterloo Campaign.

Paul has set up a Patreon you can check out here and help him make the game come true.

Wargame Design Studio Holiday Sale

Wargame Design Studio is having a Winter Sale from December 12th to January 4th, 2026. All games that have been out for over a year are 25% off, bringing the price of most titles to $29.95. If you spend over $199 in a single order, you’ll also get an additional 20% off, for potential savings of up to 40%. Other promotions are currently unavailable during the sale.

2025-12-14 20:43