EA Confirms Command & Conquer Spin-Off Tiberium

Officials from Electronic Arts have confirmed that the company is developing a squad based first person shoot ‘em-up style game set in the Command & Conquer universe. Named Tiberium, the game is due to be released next autumn on PS3, 360 and PC. Rumored for some time, the game is described as featuring “intense tactical action and visceral first-person shooting”. The name refers to the alien energy source which is the central resource of the core Command & Conquer real-time strategy games, and has featured in the subtitles of many of the existing games. The game will feature a blend of first person shooting and tactical squad combat, with the ability to control multiple infantry, armor and air squads. However, the game will not be the first such spin-off based in the Command & Conquer universe, after 2002’s critical and commercial disappointment Renegade. The failure of Command & Conquer: Renegade, and subsequent massively multiplayer online game Earth & Beyond ultimately led to the closure of original development team Westwood Studios. As a result, the Command & Conquer universe, as originally created, was not seen again until last year’s successful comeback Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Chris Plummer, executive producer at EA Los Angeles, said: “After two years of pre-production, it is exciting to finally reveal this game and its rich fiction to the world. We’ve put a lot of effort into evolving the tactical shooter experience by taking core gameplay compulsions like commanding, choice and dominating your enemies and delivering them in first-person.” Mike Verdu, vice president and general manager at EA Los Angeles added, “EALA has a long history of developing groundbreaking real-time strategy games with the Command & Conquer series. This is the birth of a new franchise - we couldn’t be more excited.”