In July, Total War creators Creative Assembly announced Total War Saga—a new branch of its familiar historical war tales that will "focus on a specific point in history", against the base games' overarching eras. Now, the developer has revealed Thrones of Britannia, a spin-off that's due next year.

Set in 878AD on the British Isles, Thrones of Britannia takes place following the Viking Invasion of Britain. "The Norse warlords are firmly established," so says publisher Sega, "but the ambitious kings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have aspirations of their own—not least the great King Alfred of Wessex."

I suspect Scotland will come out on top. But there's every chance I'm biased.

"Our aim with Total War Sagas is to explore key flashpoints at distinct places and times in history," says series director Mike Simpson of the Saga series' purview. "Unlike our era-spanning titles, we’re putting defined geographical areas under the microscope, building super-detailed campaign maps with a strong cultural focus and flavour that players can dive into. This will complement our broader-scope titles perfectly."

Thrones of Britannia is due at some point in 2018—more information can be found on its newly launched Steam page.