January 11th 2025.
Will there ever be another Command & Conquer game? As a long-time fan of the series, I can't help but lament the demise of not only Command & Conquer, but also the real-time strategy genre as a whole. With the 30th anniversary of the franchise fast approaching, I can't help but hope for an announcement of a reboot.
However, as a gamer, I know better than to get my hopes up. We are constantly bombarded with news of cancelled projects that never see the light of day. So many beloved franchises have been left in limbo, like the infamous Half-Life 3 and the countless rumors surrounding Nintendo's next big game. But when it comes to cancelled games that were publicly announced, I believe that Command & Conquer takes the cake.
In fact, there's an entire Wikipedia page dedicated to the cancelled games in the series. Some of which I didn't even know about until I started researching for this article. It's disheartening to think that there were at least two big budget reboots that never came to fruition. And while there have been some recent remasters for PC, the promised new games never materialized.
It's a sad fate for a franchise that helped popularize the real-time strategy genre. Command & Conquer now seems to be cursed to die alongside the genre it helped create. And as we approach its 30th anniversary in September, I can't help but fear that any potential announcement will be for another lackluster mobile game.
Unfortunately, the age of the franchise has left it relatively unknown to younger gamers. And even if they have heard of it, there's a good chance they're unfamiliar with the real-time strategy genre as a whole. It's a shame, considering how big it used to be in the 90s. Games like Warcraft and MOBAs like League of Legends all have their roots in real-time strategy games.
But the genre has always struggled to find its place on consoles, due to the limitations of low resolutions and the lack of a mouse. And while that's a valid reason, there has been a noticeable lack of new real-time strategy games on PC as well. Not even indie titles have attempted to fill the void.
One of the reasons may be that many real-time strategy games tend to feel similar. However, this is also the case for many other genres, such as fighting games. And I would argue that Command & Conquer is far more different from Supreme Commander, Homeworld, and Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War than any two fighting games.
Personally, Command & Conquer has always been my favorite, simply because it was my first introduction to the genre and I prefer sci-fi over fantasy. And the recent remasters only served to remind me how great these games still are. But I can't help but feel that there's so much more potential for a modern version.
The size and detail of maps could be vastly improved with the ability to zoom in and out as much as you want. And if it were a big budget game, I would love to see the option to take control of units manually, adding an action element to the gameplay. Just imagine running around a map like you're in Battlefield, but still able to zoom out and control units remotely.
However, I fear that such a game would be deemed too expensive and complex for modern gamers, leading to its downfall. It's a shame, but it seems to be EA's reluctance to try anything outside of their usual range. And as much as I would love to see a new Command & Conquer game, I'm not holding my breath.
There have been some vague talks of a new Starcraft game now that Microsoft owns Blizzard, but even that seems like a long shot. So I implore EA, please give us a new Command & Conquer game. And I don't mean a cheap free-to-play mobile app. As a fan of the franchise, I believe we deserve more.
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