If you’re an old-time RTS gamer and can remember logging countless hours with the original Command & Conquer game back in 1995, you may want to stop reading now to prevent yourself from verbally cursing EA as a company.
The Command & Conquer franchise remains not only a staple of the RTS genre, but its 11 titles and 8 expansions have laid the groundwork and inspiration for numerous other games of similar style. A sequel to 2003’s Generals, BioWare Victory was set to develop Command & Conquer Generals 2 which was to be the necessary evolution of the franchise. EA however, is under the impression that the game will perform better as a free-to-play game with the requirement of a constant internet connection.
Still powered by DICE’s Frostbite 2 Engine, it was announced at GamesCom today that Command & Conquer Generals 2 will be trimmed up and elements of the canceled project will appear in a new Command & Conquer series that will go the F2P route, a path that EA has taken kindly to over recent months, and will be re-launched in 2013.
Aside from the obvious disappointment many RTS fans will have to suffer as a result of the much anticipated Command & Conquer Generals 2 being canned, the new series will exclusively feature multiplayer. That’s right. No campaign or offline single-player in a Command & Conquer title, as the new F2P installment will require players to run a client program in the background at all times.
Check out the official announcement trailer from GamesCom below. Boy, that “dislike” bar is long.
