Sega and Total War developer Creative Assembly have announced a long-term partnership with Chinese leading internet/online game services provider NetEase to publish the real-time strategy games franchise in China.

This deal means that they will work to localize the Total War games for Chinese gamers in the country, including the recent critically-acclaimed Total War Three Kingdoms. We loved the latest entry in the long-running franchise, giving it a 90/100 in our review (which you can check out here).

However, the most surprising thing to come out of the announced collaboration is the official reveal of Total War: Elysium, a new collectible card game slated for release on PC and mobile platforms in China. At the time of writing, there has been no confirmation yet on when or even if it will be released in the rest of the world.

It will likely be similar to other existing collectible card games like Hearthstone or Gwent, the latter of which is more probable considering its war strategy roots.

Creative Assembly Studio Director and EVP of SEGA Studios Tim Heaton said:

“For nearly two decades, the Total War franchise has been a leader in the strategy games genre, thanks to its trademark gameplay and a focus on authenticity.

We are excited to bring the historical titles of the franchise to the Chinese market where we have already seen a huge appetite for Total War.

Our partnership with NetEase is an ideal pairing with our shared mission for bringing quality gameplay experiences to our passionate fans across the globe.”

In addition, the blog post on the Total War official website also revealed that Creative Assembly has a whopping nine projects currently in various stages of development, including a major new IP in the form of an unannounced tactical team-based shooter.

The developer has previously dabbled in non-Total War titles in the past, such as 2014’s Alien: Isolation (first-person survival horror), 2005’s Spartan: Total Warrior (action-adventure hack and slash), and more. It will be fascinating to see them grow even more in the years to come.