Jon Van Caneghem Talks About the Future of C&C

[Sonic 293]

Gamasutra have posted an interesting article where Jon Van Caneghem, the new brand leader for Command & Conquer at EALA, discusses the future of the franchise. In all honesty this article doesn't give away that much information but we at least get to find out who Jon Van Caneghem is and get his thoughts on Command & Conquer. Here's a sample of the article.

 

"It's challenging, but I think it's a great time," he says of the timing of his hire. "The company has the same vision I do on the future of games and the future of this franchise, so I think it's going be great."

 

"We have the opportunity to really make some quality stuff -- the place to be is here," he adds. "All the knowledge and background is here at this studio. It is a difficult time, but that happens."

 

Van Caneghem says in particular that connectivity is driving games-as-service and less as stand-alone packaged goods, and it's time for the strategy genre to have its turn. "Look what online has done for RPGs over the last 10 years," he points out. "All the other categories are following suit... we're looking forward to building something to be a leader in that space."

 

Although it's too soon for details on the new direction for RTS franchise C&C, first created by Westwood Studios in the mid '90s, Van Caneghem explains: "It allows you to do everything you would have expected from a boxed game, but it adds a lot more to it... being connected and connected with players, and persistence, the social elements of playing against each other with other friends."

To continue reading, click here. A similar article can also be found at Industry Gamers.

[Troopzor 5]

I've got a bad feeling about this ._.

[ORCaLoVeR 0]

Sie words MMO and RPG fell to much

 

 

Hmm if it was like a RPG C&C like KOTOR or FO3

 

 

wait why am i getting these ideas

[PurpleGaga27 39]

What happened to the new EALA GM Sean Decker who was a former producer of C&C Renegade? How come he's not in charge of C&C but instead having a different person (Caneghem) to take charge on C&C?

 

I agree with Troopzor and I have a bad feeling about this as well. I don't want a future C&C game to be like World of Warcraft where it's 100% multiplayer with a mix of action, real-time strategy and RPG material. Aren't people tend to be more lazy not developing games full of SP AI?

[sith_wampa 6]

He seems motivated, and he didn't say anything negative. More online interactions aren't a bad thing guys.

[General Kane Nash 0]

Unfortuanlly in the context he was saying very negative things.

 

Great mistakes he commited in the interview:

 

-Use Facebook as an example, if he visited the online community a bit he would have known people are getting a panic attack with the idea of seeing C&C converted in a Facebook game, he better have used another example bcs we dont even want to listen that as general example.

 

-Tray to sell the idea of online features as a social oportunity, we already have lives, and also online lives, we dont need EALA to give us that, instead they should be working in giving us a better gameplay support.

 

-Connection to other players, we are already connected, in a way most fans from other games would only dream about, sure we dont have the sheer numbers, but the core fanbase is hardcore and dying-hard, we have been buying their games despict the amount of issues they have presented, and among us there is people with enough talent to match the official producers, it would have been better if he talked about having more contact with the fans.

 

-Tray to present in general the idea of online features as something which would more than compensate all the good things we have been losing in the last seasons, it's really awful to feel that.

[mirza044 4]

Unfortuanlly in the context he was saying very negative things.

 

Great mistakes he commited in the interview:

 

-Use Facebook as an example, if he visited the online community a bit he would have known people are getting a panic attack with the idea of seeing C&C converted in a Facebook game, he better have used another example bcs we dont even want to listen that as general example.

 

-Tray to sell the idea of online features as a social oportunity, we already have lives, and also online lives, we dont need EALA to give us that, instead they should be working in giving us a better gameplay support.

 

-Connection to other players, we are already connected, in a way most fans from other games would only dream about, sure we dont have the sheer numbers, but the core fanbase is hardcore and dying-hard, we have been buying their games despict the amount of issues they have presented, and among us there is people with enough talent to match the official producers, it would have been better if he talked about having more contact with the fans.

 

-Tray to present in general the idea of online features as something which would more than compensate all the good things we have been losing in the last seasons, it's really awful to feel that.

 

I totally agree with you.

 

[Sonic 293]

What happened to the new EALA GM Sean Decker

Sean Decker is the General Manger. He keeps tabs on everything being worked on at EALA, not just C&C.

 

Anyway. You guys seem to read to much into the comments of Jon Van Caneghem from those articles. The fact is C&C has a future and Jon Van Caneghem is the man in charge of it. I mean no disrespect to the C&C team finishing C&C 4 but perhaps C&C needs a fresh injection of devs to take the franchise in a new direction.

[sith_wampa 6]

Unfortuanlly in the context he was saying very negative things.

 

Great mistakes he commited in the interview:

 

-Use Facebook as an example, if he visited the online community a bit he would have known people are getting a panic attack with the idea of seeing C&C converted in a Facebook game, he better have used another example bcs we dont even want to listen that as general example.

C&C cannot be reduced to a facebook game. Modders make that a sure bet.

 

-Tray to sell the idea of online features as a social oportunity, we already have lives, and also online lives, we dont need EALA to give us that, instead they should be working in giving us a better gameplay support.

They're just trying to appeal to a wider audience.

 

-Connection to other players, we are already connected, in a way most fans from other games would only dream about, sure we dont have the sheer numbers, but the core fanbase is hardcore and dying-hard, we have been buying their games despict the amount of issues they have presented, and among us there is people with enough talent to match the official producers, it would have been better if he talked about having more contact with the fans.

This is true, but think about the players that aren't die hard players. People that you may never see on a forum like this. They're money talks just as much as ours. It would be a good thing if the C&C fanbase grew.

 

-Tray to present in general the idea of online features as something which would more than compensate all the good things we have been losing in the last seasons, it's really awful to feel that.

Sure, can you elaborate?

 

[Gben 20]

I'm still searching for a reliable all-time total PC sales chart, but I was interested to hear him quote C&C sales for all games around 30 million.

 

I found this chart which shows a couple of C&C games but not all.

I thought this was out of date, because it didn't have RA3 or TW3, but it does have WOW:TWOTLC. So maybe it's up-to-date... whether it's accurate.

 

Tiberian Sun was 3.17 million

RA2 was 2.89 million

RA1 was 2.85 million

 

Looking for competitors, apparently Starcraft I has sold over 11 million.

 

If I understand it the NPD group provides monthly PC sales, which other sites quote, but I can't find an all-time sales chart that's live.

[Koen 2]

From my memory/guesstimates:

- C&C3: 1.5 million

- RA3: 1.2 milion

[Jarzka 1]

Wait a minute. He talks about the future of the game which died with Red Alert 3?

Edited November 30, 2009 by Jarzka

[jamhaw5 0]

I did not really like the sound of that. Can't he just go back to Ubisoft and make sure that they make a decent Might & Magic game for once? I want to know whether the aliens will conquer the galaxy or not!

[Silverthorn 0]

I'm not sure if it's going to turn out later on since the franchise is already as bad as it gets including tons of fans (And myself) lost faith in the franchise itself. I predict once C&C4 is released, expansion or a new game, even with Jon Van, it won't bring back their faith. After all, he is no hero compare to if Brett or Adam would to come back.

 

We shall see? I won't count on that, time will tell, that's all I can say for now.

[General Kane Nash 0]

 

More elaborated than that it's not possible

[PurpleGaga27 39]

I don't think calling a C&C5 an epic fail would be the phrase I would use, not even C&C4.

 

If the C&C series is meant to be over, it's over.