Command & Conquer planning a free-to-play future

It looks as though we might never again see a retail release for a Command & Conquer game. Instead, developers Victory are hedging their bets on a free-to-play model.

VideoGamer had a chat with Victory Games' general manager Jon Van Caneghem about why they've elected a free-to-play model for the upcoming Command & Conquer.

"From both a features and an ongoing, adding-to-the-product point of view, it was more exciting to go the free-to-play route than it was the boxed route.

"We have fans in every country around the world: Eastern Europe, China, you name it... We want to be able to bring this game to everyone, and I think not going the retail route was the way that we could expand our audience to a bigger audience."

The new Command & Conquer due this year will feature a 'live service' platform that Victory intends to support for the next decade. It'll feature ongoing content drops such as new missions, factions, and additional C&C universes that will be introduced over the game's lifespan.

So with the next 10 years being focused on a free-to-play Command & Conquer, it looks unlikely we'll be getting a full retail entry in the series any time soon.

"Yeah, I think maybe the days of a boxed [Command & Conquer] release are probably over."