Total War: WARHAMMER 40,000 for consoles was designed from the very beginning with full controller support in mind. Gareth Edmundson, head of Creative Assembly, stated that the new Warcore engine included console support right from its architectural phase; console players will have access to all game features, and key battlefield information will be retained.
The Total War series requires players to issue various commands, and figuring out how to execute these with a controller is the core challenge of the console version's design. Edmundson acknowledged that the team faced a difficult task in preserving the series' gameplay while adapting it for controllers. During the development of Halo Wars 2, the team repeatedly refined real-time strategy controls focused on gamepad input; he stated that this experience has been applied to the new title and further expanded upon.
The console version will feature a specially designed interface. Edmundson emphasized that interface adjustments must not reduce the amount of information available on screen, ensuring key intelligence is presented just as it is on PC. Console players will also be able to freely move the camera, just like PC players.
Game Director Attila Mohacsi noted that the lead combat designer, who originally preferred PC controls, now uses a controller to test the game. He believes that controller support will become part of the future development of the Total War series, with plans to continue releasing console titles.