Command and Conquer to have single-player mode

Gamers are not unfamiliar with the Command and Conquer series. The game, being one of the pioneers of the Real Time Strategy (RTS) genre, was loved by many, though it has seen a decline in more recent times. In August, Electronic Arts (EA) had announced that it is working on a version of the Command and Conquer game that will be free-to-play. In an interview last month, General Manager of BioWare, John Van Canaghem had said that the next  Command and Conquer game will not have single player.

The news that the next Command and Conquer game won’t have a single-player mode upset many fans of the series. According to The Verge, President of EA Labels Frank Gibeau said in a recent interview that the game will indeed have single player. “Our intention with Command & Conquer is to create a triple-A experience,” said Gibeau.  “Does that mean it’s not going to have single-player? No, that’s something we’ve obviously heard loud and clear that is important to people. The beauty of free-to-play, is that we can adjust and adapt to what we’re hearing as opposed to, ‘I’m sorry, it’s two months from ship and it is what it is.’ It’s a very different model because you don’t have to build as much. You build in response to your audience.”

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The new game in the series will indeed have single player

The game is set to have e-sport features. Here is what Canaghem told PCGamer, “As a live service I think the exciting part is you can try things. You can see what the community wants, you can give it a shot, you can put it up for a weekend and see how it goes, develop towards what the fans like.”  EA is all set to release the other series in the Command & Conquer franchise - Red Alert and Tiberium - as free-to-play games.

When asked if the user account made in one of the new Command & Conquer games can be shared between the three upcoming free-to-play titles, Canaghem said, “We’re obviously open to the concept.” He continued, “I know another person asked me the other day if they’d be able to fight games between factions. I guess that’s something we can look at at some point.” The game is also hinted towards having things like a spectator mode. “I don’t think we’re making a list of the features yet, but I think you can basically make a list of the assumed ones that you’d need to be an e-sports game, and it’s definitely part of the plan.”

EA seems to be highly interested in free-to-play as a business model. Recently, it had announced that it will be turning the multi-million dollar massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) Star Wars: The Old Republic into a free-to-play game.

“Players want flexibility and choice. The subscription-only model presented a major barrier for a lot of people who wanted to become part of The Old Republic universe,” said Matthew Bromberg, GM of BioWare Austin.

Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of Star Wars: The Old Republic, added, “Since launch we have been adding new content and refining The Old Republic at a breakneck pace based on the feedback from our fans. We believe we are in a position to help improve the service even more, not only by continuing to add new content, but also by expanding the game to many more Star Wars fans, increasing the populations on worlds and the vibrancy of the community.”