Command & Conquer: Generals 2 becomes part of free-to-play C&C platform

Though the announcement of Command & Conquer: Generals 2 was welcomed by many, EA really needed something a little more drastic to revive the flagging strategy series. Drastic it has indeed delivered, announcing at Gamescom that Generals 2 will be free-to-play as part of an online F2P platform, with more free C&C to come.

The game/platform/service/thing named simply 'Command & Conquer' will bring a variety of free-to-play C&C "offerings" built upon the Frostbite 2 engine, starting with Generals then moving onto Red Alert and the classic Tiberium universe.

"Heralding feedback driven design, Command & Conquer will evolve and develop with an expanding array of new content based on community response," EA said in the announcement.

"We are thrilled about this opportunity to transform Command & Conquer into a premier online experience," EA VP and GM Jon Van Caneghem added. "For nearly two decades, this franchise has existed as something you buy; now we are creating a destination where our fans will be able to access the entire Command & Conquer universe, starting with Generals and continuing with Red Alert, Tiberium and beyond. With Frostbite 2, we are able to keep an emphasis on the AAA quality our consumers expect while staying true to the RTS gameplay they know and love--all available online for free."

Command & Conquer will launch on PC in 2013. Closed beta signups should be available on the official site later today, though the page isn't active yet.