What happened to the Command & Conquer Franchise and will we ever see Red Alert 4?

by

Okay, so if you’re a newer gamer, you might not know Command & Conquer, but trust me, it was a huge deal. Back in the day, it basically defined the real-time strategy genre. The first game came out in ’95, even before titles like StarCraft and Total War were around, and it started this amazing line of strategy games. It really set the stage for a ton of iconic releases and spin-offs. It was a massive franchise!

I still remember how huge the original Command & Conquer was! It wasn’t long before they released Red Alert in ’96, which was also a massive hit. That success kind of split the series into two branches – the main story games became known as the Tiberian games, focusing on that mysterious Tiberium. The 2000s were full of Command & Conquer – we got tons of sequels and spin-offs, even a first-person shooter called Renegade. But even with all that, and a really active online community with tons of mods, the series kind of faded away towards the end of the decade. The last big game we got was Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight back in early 2010.

The Golden Age of Command & Conquer

Before Command & Conquer blew up, I actually first got hooked on Westwood Studios’ Dune 2 back in ’93 – it was a really solid RTS. But even though Dune 2 did well, the team at Westwood wanted to create something totally new. They wanted to build their own world with unique landscapes, a cool backstory, and different tech, and that’s how the original Command & Conquer came to be.

The game Command & Conquer takes place in the near future after a mysterious and valuable substance called Tiberium appears on Earth. Tiberium is incredibly dangerous, and a religious group known as the Brotherhood of Nod believes they predicted its arrival, viewing it as a holy gift. This clashes with the goals of the Global Defense Initiative, an international organization dedicated to fighting terrorism. Players experience the conflict from both sides, with separate campaigns for the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod.

The core idea and way of playing—a futuristic setting and two separate storylines—became hallmarks of the Command & Conquer series. From then on, the games were largely divided into two main branches:

  • The Tiberian Command & Conquer games follow the story premise established by the first Command & Conquer. Known to have more serious themes and increasingly prominent science-fiction elements.
  • The Red Alert Command & Conquer games take place before humanity makes contact with Tiberium. They follow an alternate history premise where the Soviet Union launches a major offensive against the Ally nations. Known to have a more lighthearted tone, which became more pronounced with each entry.

The Turning Point of Command & Conquer

In 1998, Electronic Arts (EA) acquired Westwood Studios shortly after the original Red Alert was released. EA continued to work with Westwood, overseeing the development and launch of successful titles like Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Red Alert 2, and the first-person shooter spin-off, Renegade. However, EA felt that Renegade and Westwood’s new online game project, Earth & Beyond, didn’t sell well enough. As a result, Westwood Studios was closed down in 2003, and EA Los Angeles took over the Command & Conquer series.

A number of developers who previously worked at Westwood would later create Petroglyph Games, the studio behind original titles such as Guardians of Graxia and 8-Bit Armies.

For a while, EA Los Angeles successfully continued the Command & Conquer series with popular games like Command & Conquer: Generals and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberian Wars. They demonstrated an ability to switch effectively between the Tiberian and Red Alert storylines within the C&C universe. However, many dedicated fans felt that EA Los Angeles primarily improved upon the foundations originally laid by Westwood Studios, and the franchise as a whole was starting to lack fresh concepts.

While games like Generals, Tiberian Wars, and Red Alert 3 were popular, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight wasn’t well-received by critics or players. Many felt it strayed too far from what made the original Command & Conquer games successful, particularly by minimizing or removing important features like collecting resources.

How Command & Conquer Unraveled

While Tiberian Twilight had some good qualities, it marked a turning point for the Command & Conquer series, unfortunately for the worse. It received significantly lower reviews than previous games, scoring only 64 on Metacritic. Unfortunately, later Command & Conquer titles didn’t improve things, and the series continued to decline.

In 2010, EA Los Angeles changed its name to Danger Close Games and began working primarily on the Medal of Honor series. The Command & Conquer franchise was divided between two other EA studios: EA Phenomic and EA Redwood Studios. Phenomic created Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances, while Redwood Studios developed Command & Conquer: Rivals. Tiberium Alliances quickly faced criticism for allegedly copying elements from Warhammer 40,000. Although EA addressed these concerns, the game ultimately disappointed many players. Released in 2012 as a massively multiplayer online real-time strategy game, it was largely seen as a weak and simplified experience that didn’t capture the essence of classic Command & Conquer gameplay.

Command & Conquer: Rivals, released in 2018, wasn’t very successful. While it’s a free-to-play mobile game connected to the Command & Conquer series, it’s often considered one of the weakest installments and hasn’t resonated with fans as much as other titles, despite having a small, dedicated mobile player base.

Failed Reboots and a Niche Market

Despite recent disappointments, the original Command & Conquer is still fondly remembered by fans. After Tiberian Twilight, EA tried to revive the series with Command & Conquer: Generals 2 in 2011, building on the success of the first Generals game. However, the sequel was reimagined as a free-to-play mobile game, simply titled Command & Conquer, and planned for release in 2013. EA claimed that initial player feedback was overwhelmingly negative, leading to the game’s cancellation and the closure of its developer, Victory Games.

Opinions on the mobile version of Command & Conquer are currently pretty divided. While people who tried the early test version generally liked it, it’s unclear if that positive feeling would have lasted with a wider release. Regardless, this mobile game represents the last time EA really tried to build on the core gameplay of the Command & Conquer series. Since then, we’ve only seen updated versions of older games and titles like Command & Conquer: Rivals.

What Would Need to Happen for Red Alert 4 to Exist

Electronic Arts appears to be testing how much interest there is in the Command & Conquer series before investing heavily in it. The positive reception to the 2020 release, Command & Conquer Remastered Collection – featuring updated versions of the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert – likely led to the 2024 release of Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection, which includes all C&C games released through Tiberian Twilight.

In February 2025, EA made several older Command & Conquer games, like Red Alert and Generals, freely available to the public. This move might be a way for EA to gauge interest in user-generated content and see how players respond.

Although Command & Conquer still has fans, the series hasn’t seen much development lately. These remastered collections could reignite interest and potentially lead to a full revival by EA, who has successfully rebooted older franchises like Dead Space and Skate. A new Red Alert game seems like the most likely next step for C&C, and could give the series a much-needed boost. The real-time strategy genre is also experiencing a comeback with games like Tempest Rising and Age of Empires 4, meaning there’s a lot of talented developers EA could work with.

Read More

2025-12-17 06:05