While publisher Sega and developer Creative Assembly has yet to announce when Total War: Rome 2 will be available, besides claiming that it is coming soon, the studio has confirmed the existence of day-one DLC for the strategy/turned based hybrid game. Not only that, but the DLC will be free, and will add a ninth faction to the game's roster.
The game's new faction is Pontus, a group which resides in the mountainous area surrounding the Black Sea. Creative Assembly has provided a further description of the faction on the Total War: Rome 2 website:
"A mountainous region bordering the Black Sea, Pontus contains many fertile river valleys and ports upon which it's largely agricultural and trade economy is based. This geography and location also dictate a military focus on infantry and warships. However, a mixture of Greek and Persian influences ensures the forces of Pontus are both advanced and reliable. Their bronze-shield pikemen represent a formidable military backbone, and their swift, deadly scythed chariots are rightly feared."
Total War: Rome 2 is the direct sequel to the critically acclaimed first game in the series in 2004. Other settings for the series include feudal Japan, medieval Europe, Napoleon's Europe, and The 18th Century. In addition to this game, Creative Assembly is creating both a new Warhammer game, as well as Total War: Arena, a free to play MOBA-style game. Perhaps Creative Assembly is reluctant to state a release date for the game, because they have so many projects currently in development.
Even though fans may still not know when Total War: Rome 2 is coming out, at least they know that the project is close enough in development that the development team decided to add day one DLC to the game, instead of tacking on the Pontus faction to the game's original content.