Wargaming, Sega and The Creative Assembly announced today that they would enter into a partnership to support Total War: Arena, a free-to-play strategy game that was first announced at the Game Developers Conference back in 2013.

Wargaming is the developer of World of Tanks and, most recently, World of Warships which are both free-to-play titles. They are also responsible for the Master of Orion reboot, having acquired the intellectual property from the Atari bankruptcy auction three years ago. The Wargaming Alliance is a new effort to leverage their global audience and build a community around another company’s game.

“For the past seven years Wargaming has worked hard to establish itself as an industry leader in publishing games within the free-to-play area,” said Vladimir Makarychev, head of Wargaming Alliance in a press release issued today. “Through the Wargaming Alliance label we hope to share our knowledge with other companies entering this highly competitive landscape.”

The press release went on to explain that the Wargaming Alliance was a new service being provided for third-party developers. It’s designed to give access to Wargaming’s best practices in game promotion and operation, and provide assistance in customer support as well as community management.

“SEGA is constantly exploring ways in which its diverse range of IP can be brought to a wider gaming audience,” said Jurgen Post, President and chief operating officer of Sega Europe. “This strategic partnership with Wargaming, to release Total War: Arena as the first game on the Wargaming Alliance platform presents a unique opportunity for Creative Assembly’s eagerly anticipated creation to realise its full potential. Working with Wargaming, a market leader in the free-to-play space and by utilising their extensive experience and expertise in this area, Sega is confident that Total War: Arena will become the worldwide hit it deserves to be.”

The first look at gameplay from Total War: Arena was released this spring, and features the series’ trademark massive melee battles and sweeping camera angles. There were a series of closed tests over the past few years, including an alpha and a beta which ended in March of this year. The team then entered what they termed as an “offline development period.” The last was posted in January, but was recently updated on September 1.