The History of Command & Conquer

Amidst a futuristic landscape blessed -- and cursed -- with the mysterious green-
glowing element Tiberium, two forces match wits and war machines in a battle for the
Earth's future. Throw in some unpredictable mutants, twisted technologies and a harsh
environment scoured by ion storms and overgrown with Tiberium crystals, and you have
a snapshot of the Command & Conuer universe.
That universe has proven to be a favorite playground for gamers -- hardcore and
casual ali!e -- whose enthusiasm has made "estwood #tudios' line of Command &
Conuer games one of the most popular franchises in gaming history. To date, the
Command & Conuer franchise has sold over $% million units worldwide, and the series
has landed in the %&&& 'uinness (oo! of "orld )ecords as the best-selling computer
strategy game series of all time.
And yet (rett #perry is itching for more. *ounder and +ice-,resident of
"estwood #tudios as well as mastermind behind the Command & Conuer universe,
#perry is forever scheming to enrich and complicate the Command & Conuer world, in
which the 'lobal -efense .nitiative and The (rotherhood of /od suare off in an epic,
global battle.
0The world is so rich, there's so much going on,0 #perry says. 0There's no
shortage of games to write, so long as we can !eep coming up with cool, innovative battle
tactics in addition to the great story.0
.t started off so simply1 (rett #perry -- with "estwood firmly entrenched as a
uality producer of fantasy titles -- was bored stiff with strategy games.
0. pondered strategy games and why you had to wor! so hard to get to the fun,0
says #perry. 0At the time, it was blasphemy to even suggest ma!ing a accessible
wargame. (ut the idea gnawed at me. . saw that with the computer, you had the potential
to speed things up and obliterate the turn-based drudgery.0
.ndeed, the strategy was there -- but what about the adrenaline2 #perry wanted to
play a game that brought the two together1 a tactical game where split-second decisions --
as well as deep-thin!ing strategy -- could mean the difference between getting wa3ed and
winning the war.
There was no such game, and #perry decided to ma!e it himself. .n $44%, -une
.., set in the futuristic world of the celebrated novels, brought real-time to the long-
stagnant strategy genre. "ith -une .., gamers finally had a strategy game with a pulse --
a racing pulse. #perry had minted what would become a classic gaming genre1 the real-
time strategy game.
.t would be the perfect venue for a game #perry had long been mulling over1 an
epic wargame that pitted two military powerhouses against each other in a bid for world
peace -- or global domination. "ith the release of Command & Conuer in $445, #perry
made that game. Command & Conuer had all the elements of a real-time strategy
classic1 intuitive and compelling gameplay, fascinating units, and all the strategy of chess.
.n addition, it had that magic ingredient that many games lac!1 a good story, with the
forces of the 6/-li!e 'lobal -efense .nitiative facing off against terrorist 7ealot 8ane
and his military machine (rotherhood of /od.
0.n the end,0 #perry says, 0it was one of the few games . made where literally
everything . wanted in the game is in the game -- and we managed to sell a few copies in
the bargain.0 Enough to brea! multiple sales records, in fact, and ma!e "estwood a
household word among gamers.
.t was a franchise screaming for seuels. .n the gaming world, all too often that
means a string of uninspired follow-ups with a few new gadgets thrown in. /ot one to
rest on his laurels, though, #perry has since ta!en the Command & Conuer line into
fresh and surprising directions1 "estwood's Command & Conuer )ed Alert is a preuel
that ta!es place in an alternate history in the last half of the %&th Century. Allied and
#oviet forces battle in a world complicated by time-travel and daunting Tesla technology.
The setting hoo!ed gamers, but the personalities made it memorable1 who can forget the
Allied forces' Tanya, the brassy riot grrl who leveled #oviet factories with a C-9 charge
and a sneer2
0"e could have merely made a Command & Conuer with different art, but we
didn't go that route,0 says #perry. 0"e created new units, new strategies and entirely new
game features.0
A host of e3pansion pac!s, such as Command & Conuer1 The Covert :perations,
)ed Alert1 Counterstri!e and )ed Alert1 The Aftermath further developed the C&C line.
.n the meantime, "estwood :nline uic!ly became the definitive online battleground for
veteran commanders and conuerors -- and still is.
0"e always felt that building a community for people to come together to play
our games would be fun and worthwhile,0 says #perry, 0but we had no idea that people
would still be playing games of C&C and )ed Alert several years later; ,eople continue
to use it, love it and it continues to deliver consistent uality game play.0
"ith Command & Conuer Tiberian #un, #perry upped the ante yet again. /ew
units such as hunter-see!er droids, tunneling flame tan!s and the *irestorm -efense add
new intensity and tactics, but other features such as deformable terrain and veterancy --
i.e., units notching their belts with battlefield e3perience -- raise the bar on the game
genre. And, of course, the plot thic!ens1 the appearance of #hiners -- a fierce band of
humans mutated by e3posure to Tiberium -- brought a new force to the table. (ut old
villains die hard, as well1 8ane, once presumed dead after his army was routed at the end
of the original Command & Conuer, returns with a terrifying new suite of Tiberium-
enhanced technology. .n Command & Conuer Tiberian #un1 *irestorm, 8ane's second-
in-command Anton #lavi! heads the (rotherhood of /od in a world ravaged by
Tiberium. 0.t's a much more dangerous, and therefore interesting, world to wage war in,0
#perry says of Tiberian #un.
#lated for release this year is )ed Alert %, in which the #oviets storm the 6.#.
with formidable mind-control technologies. True to #perry's vision, )ed Alert % will push
the Command & Conuer franchise even farther, emphasi7ing powerful units that ma!e
the battle ever-precarious1 a crafty commander can uic!ly shift the battle in his favor
with a few well-deployed special units.
As with all "estwood releases, it's a ris!-ta!ing venture. (ut the ris!iest yet has
to be the upcoming Command & Conuer )enegade. <a!ing a foray into third-person,
=- gaming genre, #perry promises gamers an up-close and personal plunge into the
Command & Conuer universe they've only seen from up high. Ta!ing the role of the
Commando, the wisecrac!ing, death-dealing '-. soldier of the original Command &
Conuer, gamers will engage /od soldiers, infiltrate /od bases, even commandeer /od
vehicles.
The spin-off is a bold, even ris!y move. (ut if #perry's admirable history in the
battlefield of real-time strategy gaming is any indication, you can be sure that )enegade
will be a great game.
0"e have only >ust begun to da77le people with new forms of gaming, and in turn,
new forms of entertainment,0 #perry says. 0. thin! it's safe to say that you ain't seen
nothing yet;0