Defeat: EA Cancels Command & Conquer, Closes Victory

Well now, here's a surprise. I knew some players weren't altogether on board with EA's latest Command & Conquer pseudo-reboot, but I had heard decent-ish things by and large. Apparently, however, the nay-screamers outnumbered the yea-sayers, because EA's elected to reduce the whole project to a shower of raining, Frostbite-3-friendly rubble. But that's just the beginning, er, of the end. In addition, EA is completely disbanding and shutting down longtime RTS studio EA Victory. A sad day indeed.

Here's the rationale driving the whole situation, straight from EA's blaring brass dirge trumpets:

"Part of being in a creative team is the understanding that not all of your choices are going to work out. In this case, we shifted the game away from campaign mode and built an economy-based, multiplayer experience. Your feedback from the alpha trial is clear: We are not making the game you want to play. That is why, after much difficult deliberation, we have decided to cease production of this version of the game. Although we deeply respect the great work done by our talented team, ultimately it’s about getting you the game you expect and deserve."

"Over the next 10 days we will be refunding any and all money spent in the alpha. If you have a question about your refund, please contact help.ea.com."

That's not terrible reasoning, I suppose. At least this seems to suggest that EA's listening. But laying off an entire studio (something which EA confirmed to Polygon)? That's a real shame.

Despite how things may seem, however, EA isn't abandoning the Command & Conquer franchise. At this point, it's hoping to create the game it believes players want "as soon as possible." The publisher's not-at-all-victorious post concluded: "We have already begun looking at a number of alternatives to get the game back on track. We look forward to sharing more news about the franchise as it develops."

So that's where things are at. There's no telling what lies ahead at this point, but probably don't expect to be commanding and conquering your way across new ground in the near future.

I'm digging for more info on what exactly prompted the studio closure and if there's more going on behind-the-scenes here than EA's letting on. If you are/were close to the situation and would like to get in touch, click on my name and beam your thoughts into my mind and/or email inbox. To everyone else, RPS wishes you the best of luck.