Command and Conquer is suddenly back. After 14 years in semi hiatus, barring the launch of the excellent Remastered Collection, the defining RTS series has been relaunched on Steam and heavily discounted. Kane’s Wrath, Yuri’s Revenge, Red Alert 3 – some of the most-loved C&C classics have made a valiant return, as the once-presumed-dead strategy series suddenly springs back to life. Now, there’s even more promising news. In a statement to the Command and Conquer community, EA makes a subtle reference to a possible new collection of remasters. Combined with some potentially telling updates elsewhere, if you loved the revamped versions of Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, a new Command and Conquer collection could be in the works.
A totally new Command and Conquer is long overdue. My hope right now is that the recent relaunch of the RTS game series could herald a refreshed interest both from players and EA. The Ultimate Collection, which includes Command and Conquer 3, Red Alert 3, and several others, is certainly the perfect way to introduce newcomers to the C&C world. Combined with 2020’s Remastered Collection, all the classics are now finally readily available. But more Command and Conquer could be coming. We have two potential hints.
Firstly, in a statement accompanying the launch of The Ultimate Collection, Jim Vessella, Command and Conquer’s lead producer at EA, makes a potentially revealing comment. “I realize many of you have been wondering about the status of Command and Conquer over the past several years,” Vessella says. “After the launch of the first C&C Remastered Collection, I told our community council I would continue to try and find opportunities to support the C&C community and franchise wherever possible.”
Did you spot that? “The first C&C Remastered Collection.” Does that suggest there are plans for a second? On its own, it might not seem like much, but Vessella also confirms two potentially suggestive new releases. FinalSun and FinalAlert 2, the most-loved map editors for Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 respectively, can now be accessed and launched via Steam itself.
“We are also excited to announce the release of the beloved map editors FinalSun and FinalAlert 2 under the GPL version 3.0 license,” Vessella says, “which can also be launched directly from the Steam version of Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2.”
Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2, chronologically speaking, would be the next games due to be remastered, as they serve as direct sequels to Tiberian Dawn and the first Red Alert. And now their prominent map editors have been launched on Steam. That, in combination with Vessella’s reference to the “first” collection, could be telling us something.
We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, get the best strategy games, or the best 4X games available on PC.
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