EA Investigating Standalone Game Expansions, Remembers C&C Generals Universe

4
Next week's Xbox 360 release of EA LA's Command & Conquer 3 expansion Kane's Wrath will help the developer "test the waters" regarding standalone game expansions.

While the PC edition of Kane's Wrath, which premiered earlier this year, required ownership of Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars, the cover of the Xbox 360 version boasts that it "DOES NOT require Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars to play."

"We're going to test the waters here with the Xbox 360 version as a standalone version," lead producer Jim Vessella told Shacknews. "If the fans and the audience like that formula, then perhaps we'll investigate the standalone on PC in the future."

As for why this test was not performed with the PC release, Vessella noted that "the whole attachment to the base game is a formula that we've used for over a decade now with expansion packs. It was something that we were really comfortable with, we wanted to keep it that way for the PC."

During the extensive interview, which will be published in full later today, the producer also expressed his belief that the console edition of Kane's Wrath has "the best control scheme for RTS games coming out next week," and teased the future of the franchise.

"We have a few different universes in C&C, obviously Tiberium, and Red Alert is under development right now. Of course, we have also the Generals universe, which we haven't touched in a while," Vessella said. "Nothing to announce just yet, but I think there's a really bright future for Command & Conquer, especially the Tiberium universe."

Chris Faylor was previously a games journalist creating content at Shacknews.

Filed Under
From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 19, 2008 8:57 AM

    There frakkin' better be a bright future head for the C&C Univerise. The ending of Kane's Wrath was bullshit. I enjoyed the game, immensely, and thought that it provided a fine twist behind the events of C&C3 and also extended the story beyond where C&C3 left off -- BUT, the ending leaves you hanging in the worst way. It's like someone decided the Battlestar Galactica way of cliffhanging and then ditching the audience for months on end was a smart idea.

    Bring on the next expansion, PLEASE.

    • reply
      June 19, 2008 10:42 AM

      Yeah I just beat Kane's Wrath last night. I was like WTF Space?

    • reply
      June 19, 2008 1:21 PM

      so there are people who actually follow (or care) about storylines for RTS games? huh... go figure...

Hello, Meet Lola