Warhammer Fantasy was one of the staple games in Games Workshops lineup, alongside Warhammer 40K and Lord of the Rings, but one event changed all of that. The Storm of Chaos was a massive campaign that led to the destruction of the old world and the end of Warhammer Fantasy, which was replaced with a new game called Age Of Sigmar.
This change came around in-universe due to several events, but the major ones might be familiar to fans of Total War: Warhammer. These similarities could mean that Creative Assembly is going to follow in Games Workshops' footsteps and introduce Age Of Sigmar into its adaptation of the series. This would mean a massive change to the way that the games work, but it could be a huge change to a series that is already very different from the other Total War games.
Storm of Chaos was the final battle between the forces of the Old World as Archaon marched his hordes to conquer the old world. He aimed to destroy the empire and, eventually, destabilize the vortex in Ulthan and bring victory to the Dark Gods. While the main focus was on Archaon, each army had its reasons for fighting and affected the world in different ways. One of the major contributors was the Skaven, who eventually destroyed the moon. Regardless of who won, the world came to an end, but the actions of different gods brought about a rebirth. This new world was very different from the old, though some familiar faces made their return.
One of the major similarities was the introduction of Kislev as a full-fledged faction. While Kislev had been mentioned in lore, they were little more than a color scheme for Empire soldiers. However, the faction was given a full army list and miniatures for Storm of Chaos. Total War: Warhammer III has brought the army forwards as well, promoting them as one of the game's major additions. This, in combination with the focus on the Chaos gods, might be an indication that something big is on the horizon. While the trailers haven't said much, it is likely there will be a new campaign included that focuses on the Chaos gods' invasion of the old world.
Unlike the Old World, the world of Age of Sigmar is not a simple landmass. The world is instead broken into different plains, each one representing a different kind of magic and controlled by different factions. Each of these realms is massively different from the others, and traveling across them requires control of special gates. The factions are also very different, with many of the leaders that players know being turned into gods, monsters or lost in the destruction of the Old World. These new forces, leaders and landscape would be familiar, but different enough to set it apart from the existing game.
If Total War does take the route of creating a new game set in the Age of Sigmar, it would change many of the things players are comfortable with. The diplomacy and traveling mechanics would be massively different from what players are used to, but this could be worked to the game's benefit. Total War: Warhammer managed to introduce monsters and magic into the Total War formula to great success. While Age of Sigmar would be a drastic change, it would be different enough to bring new players to the series and bring back any players who were seeking something new.
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