EA CEO John Riccitiello Talks About Future of C&C/EA RTS

[Troopzor 5]

A recent article on Gamasutra with Jon Van Caneghem, the new brand leader for Command & Conquer at EALA, discussed his thoughts on the future of C&C. Today Kotaku had an interview with EA CEO John Riccitiello concerning the future of C&C and the RTS genre as a whole. Here's a small clip:

 

"[Van Ceneghem] and I have a shared vision that the RTS category is due for fundamental innovation and not just cooler graphics," Riccitiello said. "We've gotten to the point where you can see the particles around individual grenade explosions inside rooms where windows fall apart. That was never what made RTS good. That was just sort of eye candy on top of a very traditional game mechanic. From when Red Alert and Starcraft sort of defined the genre, it hasn't moved."

As with the Gamasutra article it doesn't give away much as to where C&C is really heading, but it is a good read. For the full article click here.

[Gben 20]

Clearly C&C4 is an example of games that aren't relying on eye-candy to sell... I'm looking at you Nod!

 

Interesting stand-point, but I don't hold much hold that he can lead actual innovation for the franchise. But at least he's still talking about the future of the franchise. Everyone is entitled a turkey in their franchise, I guess, but why does it have to be the epic conclusion....

[[NE]Fobby[GEN] 10]

Personally I can't wait for World of Tiberium.

 

That would be the end of the series for me

 

From what they've been saying, I have a feeling C&C's going to become either a mobile platform game (Iphones, etc.) or an MMO RTS, where you pay for extra things.

[Malovolpe 3]

I love C&C don't get me wrong but the gameplay has been pretty much the same every game. About time they are looking for innovation.

[TheBlackOut 7]

My interest in C&C has been waning for a bit and now with C&C4 and what the future is looking like for C&C, the waning is turning into a nosedive. What they're doing with it is really sad to me. I've tried not to be the typical negative guy against EA but they're really doing crappy with it (imo), but I guess I shouldn't say they're doing crappy with C&C as in just C&C, I think EA should remove itself from the RTS genre itself. Non-RTS games are more their strength.

 

"From when Red Alert and Starcraft sort of defined the genre, it hasn't moved." I think this because the basic models that RA and SC were on were great and people really enjoy them. They're are people that don't but that's why RTSs like Company of Heroes and World in Conflict exist. EA's latest C&C games have strayed away from that but not badly enough to be bad. Gens did (and I personally think Gens and ZH would have made for a great long-term competitive RTS if EA would have supported it and just a good RTS for casual players too) and Gens was damn good. Not C&C really, but it was a damn good RTS, but it was different from SC and RA models. C&C3 and the RTS games EA made after Gens were different too, but stuck somewhat near the old C&C models and still were okay (C&C3 being the best, RA3 the worst). But now C&C4 is straying way too far and that's not what people want, at least from C&C.

[Luk3us 63]

This bodes badly for future C&C games, though that is already fairly evident with C&C4...

[Malevolence 6]

Personally I can't wait for World of Tiberium.

 

A nightmare came true. Oh the humanity.

[Sonic 297]

The "World of Tiberium" comment has been removed from the news post. I don't allow personal comments or silly jokes in news posts.

 

Anyway. You guys are so pessimistic about new things. The only comment I agree with here is Malovolpe's. Its time for innovation. I'm not ready to shut the door on future C&C games after reading a couple of quotes that quiet frankly say **** all about the future of the franchise.

 

Besides. I doubt a future C&C game would be set in the Tiberium or Red Alert universe. Its probably going to be something completely new.

[Troopzor 5]

A nightmare came true. Oh the humanity.

 

It was a joke obviously. One that is probably over used, but I've always wondered what a C&C MMO would be like if they just made it like C&C renegade, but on a MAAAASSSIIIVE scale

[TheBlackOut 7]

Anyway. You guys are so pessimistic about new things. The only comment I agree with here is Malovolpe's. Its time for innovation. I'm not ready to shut the door on future C&C games after reading a couple of quotes that quiet frankly say **** all about the future of the franchise.

I was not pessimistic about C&C3. I was not pessimistic about Kane's Wrath or RA3. Well after playing those, I can say I have every reason to be pessimistic. Though, I don't really call it pessimism at this point. The C&C I recognize and loved is long gone with the coming of C&C4, the first few news posts of C&C4 did that. EA called it innovation with the new C&C games they've put out, but I'm not so sure that has been good for C&C. I'm tired of seeing EA's attempt to innovate a series that didn't need innovating. I don't know too many people who are confidently going to buy and play this game, which is sad. A few hardcore C&Cers I know from other communities and other gaming communities say pass while some of my friends that just look at RTS for fun have used "kinda lame" to describe what C&C4 is looking like. So I was all for RTS drifting from what the "hardcore" wanted but now I'm not so sure that is what I should have been supporting..

 

Making a great recipe better by adding little things to make it even greater is fine, taking out one of the ingredients or adding a completely new one doesn't usually work. I'm all for trying it, but I'm not going to taste with too high of hopes and expectations.

 

edit: And oh, it hasn't been just a few lines of text that have sealed C&C's place in my hear for me, it's been plenty. From the unit profiles, to what they're doing to the game mechanics, to even how the game freakin' looks (sooo corny, imo). Don't think I'm making these just because of this news post, it's been building for a bit.

[Silverthorn 0]

I'm not really sure if the franchise is going to become something new despite people know how f**ked up it is right now. So as MJ said, This Is It! Once C&C4 is done, I'm moving on to put my money on the other great games which pleases me.

 

Even if it's going to be a brand new universe like I predicted, but I bet the gameplay will not be like the traditional Westwood style, so I'm not looking into it. It's vaminos for me after this one!

[Nmenth 291]

EA called it innovation with the new C&C games they've put out, but I'm not so sure that has been good for C&C. I'm tired of seeing EA's attempt to innovate a series that didn't need innovating.

Quite true, that's what I've been saying.

 

Making a great recipe better by adding little things to make it even greater is fine, taking out one of the ingredients or adding a completely new one doesn't usually work. I'm all for trying it, but I'm not going to taste with too high of hopes and expectations.

More like replacing the meat with tofu.

 

Don't think I'm making these just because of this news post, it's been building for a bit.

I think it has been for a lot of people, I know I've been a little skeptical since the beginning, but it has only been disappointment on disappointment and at some point, indifference starts to set in. Indifference toward the next C&C game? Poignant and implausible during the previous decade, but here it is now, reality.

I can't know everyone's thoughts, but it seems as though even the more optimistic people are starting to falter.

[Silverthorn 0]

At least the CEO did gave the franchise a chance to survive again even with under Jon Van Caneghem's supervision. I'm not sure if the next game or C&C4 expansion will turn out well, my money is not betting on it, because I predict the next game will still NOT keep the traditional Westwood gameplay style as usual.

[recover 2]

I don't think C&C3 and RA3 performed well enough (read: brought in enough cash) to continue down on the traditional RTS gameplay. They see more success in other gameplay such as the one they are doing for C&C4. I guess they at least tried pretty hard with C&C3 and RA3.

 

Whatever, I'll play C&C4 for the story.

[Sonic 297]

Can we leave C&C 4 out of this? This is really looking beyond that game.

 

No offence but I suggest some of you guys learn to read, stop picking out parts of the articles and putting a nail in C&C's coffin. For so many years now people just read between the lines and basically make **** up for sake of signalling the end of C&C

 

Go and read Cypher's posts in this thread http://forumplanet.gamespy.com/in_the_news...296/20164272/p1 and more here http://forums.commandandconquer.com/jforum...085.page#450788 also by Cypher.

[[NE]Fobby[GEN] 10]

I am totally up for innovation, I just don't have a good feeling about what they think is good innovation. We'll see, yeah, but none of what they've been saying lately is "good news" to me.

Edited December 5, 2009 by [NE]Fobby[GEN]

[TheBlackOut 7]

"For so many years now people just read between the lines and basically make **** up for sake of signalling the end of C&C." Never had people had so many nails to do it with. I have now read Cypher's posts. I can't call them a lie, but I can't call it the truth either. And the some of the replies to his posts on the second link kinda sum up my thoughts so it didn't really change anything.

 

I'm all for hoping C&C4 and the future of C&C will be good (C&C4 is part of the future of C&C, it's way to different to be put with the likes of C&C3, RA3) but again, I expect not a whole lot. But that will make for a good surprise if I'm wrong I guess.

[Troopzor 5]

Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

 

That's what I'm doing

[Nmenth 291]

Can we leave C&C 4 out of this? This is really looking beyond that game.

That just isn't going to happen. C&C4 currently is the future and is the sign of where C&C is going. C&C4 is the only future we have any facts on, if we ignore it, all that is left is speculation. Either we can look to C&C4 as an example of things to come, or we can speculate with rumors and guessing, there is no alternative to this aside from completely disregarding the future.

Yes, we are really talking about the more distant future, but that is the unknown. It's like we are looking at a door to a room we aren't allowed inside until the indefinite future. The door is C&C4 and behind it is the future of C&C. All we can know about the contents of that room is what clues we can perceive by looking at the door.

You can hate it, but that is how it is and all it will ever be until C&C4 comes out and makes the change from future C&C to present.

[PurpleGaga27 40]

The thing is that right now EA and other EA studios including EALA are currently shaping a new need for change. They are built to change and that is that I was expecting for C&C4 (because it will change everything for future C&C games), well except for the full online feature. Forget the basics, C&C shall advance.

[Gben 20]

Well the whole facebook thing is a bit of a red-herring, the idea of a concrete meta-map online like KW-risk game is an obvious step missing from C&C since RA2 made online play viable.

From the companies perspective, a subscription online model makes good sense, and the fact that millions of people pay to play Warcraft must indicate some merit to the system.

And although I would certainly would be *extremely* reluctant to get involved in that, I won't dismiss the idea out-of-hand.

 

But C&C4 is the near future and it can't be separated from this discussion.

And yes, I'm officially pessimistic about my involvement in the future of this franchise.

[Silverthorn 0]

Well Sonic, with Nmenth explained, we can never be very sure as long as we only get to see the surface or door of C&C4, but beneath the surface or inside the room, we can never be really sure what lies behind it whether it'll improve or worse.

 

But still, with many fans have their hearts broken, even with new supervisors watching over the quality of it, it won't bring their old hearts back. It's just like you try to mend a broken rubber band back together. That's why for me, I'm out of this already and enough of its stupidity & crappiness. Even if there's going to be another C&C game under the new supervision, it won't bring my heart back again unless everything is way back to Westwood traditions (Not counting using the 2D engine, and yes, that counts on bringing back the numerous CGIs and I don't care whether if it's too expensive or not)

[Mighty BOB! 5]

I enjoyed reading the long list of user comments on the Kotaku article. Most of them were well constructed and intelligent discussions about the meta-game of the RTS genre and how it has or has not innovated. A lot of them were dead-on and I find myself in agreement with them and not Mr. Riccitiello.

 

-edit- spelling

Edited December 10, 2009 by Mighty BOB!

[Silverthorn 0]

Yeap, you know what they say, like in some TV shows, (For me, from the Mythbusters documentary show), the fans are always right.