EA has announced that Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is coming to Steam and Origin this June 5th. The collection includes both Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, as well as Covert Ops, Counterstrike and The Aftermath, their three expansion packs.
As a spiritual successor to Dune II, the Command & Conquer was first released in 1995 and the game is widely considered as one of the best RTS games of its time. The game has also been cited as a large influence on the real-time strategy genre overall. Every RTS game from StarCraft to Age of Empires had borrowed concepts from Command & Conquer. It is credited with popularizing real-time strategy games in the years following its release.
The remaster of the seminal 1995 real-time strategy game features 4K graphics, rebuilt multiplayer, a tweaked user interface, a map editor, a remastered soundtrack by original composer Frank Klepacki as well as upscaled FMVs. Multiplayer has also been rebuilt to support custom games, 1v1 quick match, Elo-based matchmaking, leaderboards, and replays.
The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection was first revealed back in October 2018 on the official game forums to gather community feedback on the project. Command & Conquer Remastered is being called a “passion project” for EA.
One of the studios that helped develop the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection was Petroglyph Games. It was founded by former Westwood Studios employees, including several people who worked on the original C&C. Original series composer Frank Klepacki was one of the people who returned to work on the remaster. So do not worry, “Hell March” definitely got the care and attention it deserves. The development team also found a way to restore the franchise’s iconic full-motion video (FMV) cutscenes.
Our team has been working hand-in-hand with the C&C community since day one and we hope this transparent dialogue will result in the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection being a love letter to our fans.
We’re taking the classic gameplay that ushered in a new era of the RTS genre and adding the most fan requested features like Skirmish mode for Tiberian Dawn, quality of life control improvements, and full Steam integration with UGC support. For me personally, having been a C&C fan since I was 12 years old in 1995, working with the original Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph has been a dream come true.
– Jim Vessella, lead producer at EA.
Jim Vessella, lead producer at EA.
EA will release Command & Conquer Remastered digitally through Steam and Origin. The publisher is also working with boutique publisher Limited Run Games to release a pair of physical releases. Here are the official details from EA:
- Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (Digital) – $19.99 USD – Only available on Origin and Steam and includes the remastered versions of Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, plus all three expansion packs (Covert Operations, Counterstrike, and The Aftermath), and tons of bonus features and improvements.
- Special Edition (Physical) – $59.99 USD – Only available on Limited Run Games, this edition comes in a 2-piece big box with embossing treatments and includes a Steam digital download code, Tiberium crystal 16GB USB drive with remastered original soundtrack (119 tracks, over 7 hours of music including the album, “Frank Klepacki and the Tiberian Sons: Celebrating 25 Years of Command & Conquer”); reversible 18″ x 24″ poster, four factional enamel pins, tech tree prints (one for each faction), and faction sticker sheet.
- 25th Anniversary Edition (Physical) – $149.99 USD – Only available on Limited Run Games, this edition includes all items in the Special Edition plus a beautiful foil and embossed rigid box, six-disc remastered original soundtrack signed by Frank Klepacki, 100+ page art book, four faction patches, reversible beanie, metal mammoth tank replica, and painted PVC light and sound tesla coil and obelisk replicas.
For a look at Command & Conquer Remastered’s visual and UI improvements, check out the official website.