Back in December of 2011, EA officially announced Command & Conquer: Generals 2 that will be seeing a release in 2013. The upcoming game will be powered by DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine and the good news (or bad news depending on how you look at it) is that EA has announced that the game will be adopting the free-to-play model. According to the official statement released by EA:
With a familiar blend of cerebral, strategic gameplay and fun, fast-paced action, Command & Conquer will deliver an authentic and modern RTS experience that will instantly exhilarate longtime fans and captivate new players. Gamers can sign up for a chance to be among the first to try the closed beta of Command & Conquer at www.CommandandConquer.com/free.
“We are thrilled about this opportunity to transform Command & Conquer into a premier online experience,” said Jon Van Caneghem, VP/GM at EA. “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.
The free-to-play model is a popular one that many publishers are looking at these days. For those unfamiliar, it basically lets gamers play a game for free, but will charge them for in-game items, perks, extra features and etc. using real money. While it no doubt attracts many players due to its initial cost being zero, players might end up spending more money than they would have if they had paid for the game outright.
In any case if you’re interested in learning more and sign up for the closed beta, head on over to the Command & Conquer website for the details. In the meantime gameplay footage can be seen in the video above.
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