People worried about the new Command & Conquer game being free-to-play can maybe rest easy. Word across the internet is that the game plays like a classic Command & Conquer.
For example, a hands-on preview available on Eurogamer states that the game does not play casual despie the free-to-play model, although there is no way to tell how exactly the new game system will pan out in the long run.
"The truth is that we didn't start with a particular business model in mind," explains Tim Morten, Victory Games' senior development director. "We spent a great deal of the time at the outset of the project just thinking about how to make the game fun. Part of that was happenstance, but it did turn out to be really beneficial to us. It means that we haven't had to compromise the design in any way. It's more about the challenge now of thinking what makes sense to charge for rather than changing the game itself."
Fans of the series will be glad to know that Victory Games, the third company behind the series, has put a lot of time and effort into developing a title that will be reminiscent of the old games.
The game takes elements from previous titles–specifically Command & Conquer: Generals— including the universe and the Red Alert and Tiberium timelines that will be released post-launch.
According to VG247, the game will start out in the Generals universe with three factions–the Asian Pacific Alliance, the European Union, and the Global Liberation Army–and contain downloadable maps, campaigns, and generals.
“Longer term we’re looking at revisiting other C&C universes such as Tiberium and Red Alert, and even exploring completely new fictions," said Morten. "The vision is expected to continue for years and even decades down the line.”
There is no specific release date for C&C, although Victory says that it will be released sometime in 2013.