While making press rounds at E3, EA touched upon an anticipated project that was strangely absent from their E3 press briefing this year; Their upcoming free-to-play real-time strategy reboot, Command & Conquer. Originally announced as Command & Conquer: Generals 2, the unapologetically old-school RTS offering was given a new trailer, with confirmation that a closed beta would be prepared for launch this Summer!
Considering that the drastic changes of Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight were received negatively by a large chunk of the fanbase, Command & Conquer’s classic stylings should be a welcome relief for series fans! Going back to an emphasis on base-building and resource management, Command & Conquer stands as one of the more promising free-to-play projects in the developer pipeline. Initially, the game was to be multiplayer-only, though developer, Victory Studios has since confirmed that a single-player campaign would be added.
Despite being set in the Generals universe, Command & Conquer is said to be planned as a springboard for the series’ other two sub-canons; Tiberium and Red Alert. At this point, it seems that EA plans to make the entire Command & Conquer franchise adopt the free-to-play model. Details are still light, but units, missions and multiplayer will likely be purchased separately, allowing players to decide whether they want the full experience, or simply to commit to their single preferred faction. If this proves true, it should be an effective way to capitalize on the free-to-play movement, even for more hardcore strategy gamers!
Command & Conquer’s factions are confirmed to be the technologically-apt European Union, military-focused Global Liberation Army (GLA), and an all-new faction, the Asian-Pacific Alliance (APA). All factions are being prepared heavily based on player feedback. The closed beta launching this Summer will likely take this movement even further, with Victory Studios hoping to create not only the perfect Command & Conquer experience, but also a game that will help get more serious gamers interested in free-to-play, which has so far been limited to casual-oriented social and mobile games.
Command & Conquer is planned to release exclusively for PC this Fall. Be sure to keep your browsing forces set on Eggplante for more news on this promising free-to-play project, as it surfaces!