Command & Conquer (C&C) is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game series first made by Westwood Studios and now owned by Electronic Arts. The first game in the series was among the earliest in the RTS genre, inspired by Westwood Studios' popular strategy game Dune II. It introduced features that became part of the series, such as full-motion video cutscenes with actors to tell the story, rather than computer-generated videos within the game. Westwood Studios was bought by Electronic Arts in 1998 and shut down in 2003. Some of the studio's members and projects were moved to EA Los Angeles, where development of the series continued.
History
In 1993, after Westwood Studios created the highly praised game Dune II, Computer Gaming World reported that the company would not use the Dune license for its next strategy game. The magazine explained that the programmers were tired of working with desert environments and that the new game would feature "new terrain and enemies" and include a version for multiple players to play together.
Westwood released Command & Conquer worldwide in 1995. The game is set in a near-future world where Earth becomes polluted by a mysterious substance called Tiberium. A global war breaks out between the United Nations-formed Global Defense Initiative, which tries to control Tiberium, and the Brotherhood of Nod, a group led by a mysterious leader named Kane, who wants to use Tiberium for power. The game was very successful and was followed by Command & Conquer: Red Alert in 1996. This game is set in an alternate universe where the Soviet Union fights against the Allies. Red Alert was developed as a prequel but later became a separate, lighter series, while the original Command & Conquer games and their sequels continued as the "Tiberium" series, keeping their science fiction and serious tone. The first game is sometimes called Tiberian Dawn.
After Tiberian Dawn, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun and its expansion pack Firestorm were released in 1999. In 2002, Westwood launched Command & Conquer: Renegade, a first-person shooter game that was praised for its online features. In 2003, a spin-off game called Command & Conquer: Generals was released. This game is set in a realistic near-future and includes the United States, China, and the Global Liberation Army. It was followed by an expansion pack called Zero Hour. In 2007, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was released, along with its expansion pack Kane's Wrath. In 2010, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight was released as the final game in the Tiberium series. It received mixed reviews because it changed traditional gameplay and story elements. The Red Alert series continued with Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 in 2000, its expansion Yuri's Revenge, and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 in 2008. This last game added a new faction called the Empire of the Rising Sun, which resembles Japan with futuristic robotic technology.
Most Command & Conquer games are designed for personal computers running Microsoft Windows. Some titles have been released for video game consoles and Apple Mac computers. Games for platforms like iOS and web-based systems have also been developed. As of July 2010, the Command & Conquer franchise included eleven games and eight expansion packs. The first three games were made available for free to promote later titles. A free-to-play game called Command & Conquer was being developed by Victory Games and was expected to be released in 2013. However, the game was canceled after a short testing phase, and Victory Games was shut down by EA. By 2009, over 30 million Command & Conquer games had been sold worldwide.
Gameplay
The Command & Conquer games are real-time strategy games, except for Command & Conquer: Renegade, which is a first-person shooter. A common feature of the series is that different groups, or factions, have their own storylines that connect to a central story. The games also allow players to compete against each other in multiplayer matches through LAN or modem connections. All games in the series support online play and "skirmish" matches, where players can battle against computer-controlled enemies.
Most Command & Conquer real-time strategy games, except Command & Conquer: Generals and its expansions, use a "side bar" for navigation and control. This is different from many other games, where the control bar is located at the bottom of the screen.
In Command & Conquer games, players typically build a base and gather resources to fund the creation of military units to attack the opponent's base. All structures for the chosen faction are built at a special location called a "construction yard." These construction yards are usually large vehicles, known as Mobile Construction Vehicles (MCVs), that can deploy themselves to create the yards. Once a structure is built, the player can place it near an existing building, and the prefabricated building will quickly unfold.
In most games, except Command & Conquer: Generals and its expansion Zero Hour, players collect resources using specialized "harvester" units. These units gather materials like Tiberium (from the Tiberian series) or ore and gems (from the Red Alert series) and deliver them to a "refinery" to convert them into usable credits. Before Red Alert 2 and Command & Conquer 3, these materials needed to be stored in refineries or "storage silo" structures. In Generals and Zero Hour, players collect funds either by gathering supplies and converting them into money at "supply centers" or by producing money directly from specialized units, buildings, or tech buildings at set intervals.
All factions in the series have structures and units that perform similar functions, but these are adjusted to match each faction's theme and have slightly different properties. Units are divided into infantry, vehicles, and aircraft, with further subdivisions (in the Red Alert series, naval units are also available). The effectiveness of units against opponents follows the rock-paper-scissors principle, where each unit has strengths and weaknesses against others.
Most structures in the series act as steps in a technology tree. As players build new structures, they unlock additional units, structures, and faction-specific abilities. If key structures are destroyed or not properly powered by "power plant" structures, access to advanced units or abilities may be blocked.
Every Command & Conquer game included multiplayer options. Each game box contained two CD copies, allowing players to play against each other with one purchase. Westwood Studios advertised this with the slogan "A second copy, so you and your friend can destroy each other." This made Command & Conquer the first real-time strategy game to support competitive online play, a key factor in its success. Games up to Red Alert 2 included two CDs for multiplayer use, but later games did not.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 was the first real-time strategy game to allow cooperative online play for its campaigns, which were previously only available in single-player mode. However, this feature required connecting through EA's servers, not through LAN.
Westwood Studios used its own system, Westwood Online, to support multiplayer games over the internet. Renegade also supported GameSpy. Later games under EA continued using GameSpy but stopped supporting Westwood Online, switching to EA's servers. The GameSpy master servers closed in 2013, but some games can still be played through Gameranger.
Games
Command & Conquer, released on September 26, 1995, is the first game in the series. According to the Command & Conquer: Renegade manual, the game takes place between 2017 and 2020. It helped define and popularize the real-time strategy genre, where players build bases and fight in real time. The game introduced two warring factions: the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod. Critics praised the game, with one reviewer calling it "one of the finest, most brilliantly-designed computer games I have ever seen." It earned a 94% average score from Metacritic. The Covert Operations expansion pack, released in 1996, received a lower score of 72%.
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, released on August 27, 1999, takes place in the year 2030. Unlike the original game, which focused on world politics, Tiberian Sun uses a science fiction setting with a dangerous substance called Tiberium threatening Earth's ecosystems. Westwood Studios, the developers of Tiberian Sun, was bought by Electronic Arts in 1998, but EA did not help create the game. Tiberian Sun uses science fiction technology and a new game engine that makes the environment look more like 3D. Its full-motion videos (FMVs) use traditional movie-style shots, unlike the first-person perspective used in earlier games.
Command & Conquer: Renegade, released on February 26, 2002, takes place near the end of the original Command & Conquer story. It was the last game made by Westwood Studios before the company closed in 2003. Renegade is a first-person shooter, a different type of game from earlier titles. It received average reviews, with a 75% score from Metacritic and GameRankings. Critics praised its online features, calling the multiplayer mode "innovative and fun." The game encouraged teamwork in online battles, which was uncommon for first-person shooters at the time.
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, released on March 29, 2007, returned to the real-time strategy style of the series. It is a direct sequel to Tiberian Sun and takes place in 2047. The game introduces a new faction, the Scrin. It earned an 85% average score from Metacritic and GameRankings. PC Gamer U.S. gave it an "Editor's Choice" rating of 90%, while PC Gamer UK scored it 82%.
After Tiberium Wars, the expansion pack Kane's Wrath was released on March 24, 2008. It focuses only on the Brotherhood of Nod in its main story but includes the original factions and six new sub-factions for other game modes. Set in 2052, it received a 77% average score.
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, released on March 16, 2010, changed gameplay by removing resource gathering and base building. It is a direct sequel to Kane's Wrath but not directly connected to its story. Set in 2062, the game shows Tiberium evolving into a more dangerous stage that threatens Earth's habitability.
Renegade X is a free, fan-made remake of Command & Conquer: Renegade. Approved by Electronic Arts, it entered open beta on February 26, 2014. It includes a short single-player campaign called Black Dawn.
The Command & Conquer Remastered Collection, announced in November 2018, remade the original game, its expansions, and Red Alert for modern computers. Released on June 5, 2020, it earned an 82/100 score on Metacritic. EA also released the game's source code to allow players to create improved mods.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert, released on November 22, 1996, is set in an alternate 1950s and was meant to be a prequel to the series. It introduced the Allies and Soviets as factions similar to NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. The game received high scores, with over 90% from GameRankings and Metacritic. Its two expansion packs, Counterstrike (63%) and The Aftermath (70%), received lower scores. A PlayStation-only version, Retaliation, included all content from the expansions and new cutscenes. Before becoming freeware in 2008, the game sold over three million copies.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, released on October 23, 2000, features a Soviet invasion of North America with tanks, airships, and giant squid. It does not directly connect to the Tiberium series, though some creators suggest it takes place in a parallel universe. It earned an 86% average score from GameRankings.
The expansion pack Yuri's Revenge, released on October 10, 2001, follows an ex-Soviet leader named Yuri using psychic technology to conquer the world. It received mostly positive reviews, with an 85% average score from GameRankings.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, released on October 28, 2008, continued the story of Red Alert 2 with a more humorous tone. It introduced the Empire of the Rising Sun, an anime-inspired version of Japan. The game aimed to make each faction unique and emphasized fun, quirky designs.
Music
Much of the music for the series was created by Frank Klepacki, a former sound director and composer from Westwood Studios, for the early games. After Westwood Studios closed in 2003, other composers took over the music for the series. Klepacki returned in 2008 to help create the soundtrack for Red Alert 3.
Critics have generally praised the music, with earlier versions of the series receiving more acclaim.
The original music for Command & Conquer: Red Alert was composed by Frank Klepacki. It was named the best video game soundtrack of 1996 by PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines. One of Klepacki’s most famous songs from the series is the Red Alert theme, called "Hell March." This song uses fast-paced electric guitar riffs, sounds of marching footsteps, and synthesizers to create a dramatic chant. Originally planned as the theme for the Brotherhood of Nod faction in the Covert Operations expansion to the 1995 Command & Conquer game, the song became a key part of the Red Alert series instead. A second version of "Hell March" was made specifically for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.
After C&C was released, the team quickly moved on from Covert Ops. Klepacki wrote additional ambient-style themes as requested and started working on a heavy metal song meant for the next major C&C game. Brett Sperry, a team member, asked Klepacki, "Do you have anything I can hear for the new C&C?" Klepacki played the song for him. Sperry asked, "What’s the name of this one?" Klepacki replied, "Hell March." Sperry said, "That’s the signature song for our next game."
— Frank Klepacki, Senior Composer
Reception
The Command & Conquer series has sold more than 30 million games as of 2009, making it a major success. In 1997, Screen Digest called it "one of the largest PC CD-ROM entertainment franchises at that time." By 1999, it had sold over 10 million copies.
Games in the series often received high scores on review websites like GameRankings and Metacritic, which gather ratings from many sources. As shown in the table below, the highest-rated game is Command & Conquer, with a 94% score from Metacritic. The highest average score across both sites is for Command & Conquer: Red Alert, which scored just over 90%. Overall, the series averaged about 80% when including expansion packs and about 84% when excluding them.
The long history of Command & Conquer led to Guinness World Records recognizing the series with six world records in the 2008 Gamer's Edition. These include "Biggest Selling RTS Series," "Most Number of Platforms for an RTS," and "Longest Running Actor in Video Game Role" for Joe Kucan, who played Kane, the series' villain, for 15 years.