Always be wary of rumors, especially from sites that specialize in rumors. But Kotaku is reporting that the massive layoffs at EA will include the team making Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight.
Sources tell Kotaku that the team working on Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight was warned of its fate today, with almost the entire team expected to be let go after the real-time strategy game ships some time in 2010.
Also said to be affected heavily are Spore and former-Sims studio EA Maxis, social network gaming acquisition Rupture Studios, and Mercenaries and The Saboteur creators Pandemic Studios LA.
This is so insane to think about considering the success the RTS genre enjoyed less than ten years ago. If this news turns out to be true, we might be witnessing the end of an era…
@Cubit, this is not so insane if you consider how badly EA destroyed the saga replacing innovation with class-B cinematics …with tits.
The RTS genre keeps having an enourmous impact, but currently the game market is so focused in consoles (and its inherent crippled nature to hold RTSs) that it may looks like not. However Company of Heroes, World in Conflict, the upcoming Starcraft 2, Men of War and many others show that the genre is in good shape.
And! not to forget that before this news, EA already had announced that the C&C saga would came to an end with this last game.
I would have liked a second C&C Generals before the total sunset…
@Novack
I don’t know if I can agree with you there. EA LA innovated in their RTS titles about as much as Westwood did in their games per iteration. In fact, C&C 4 is looking like it will be the biggest change yet for the series.
Did Red Alert 2 or Emperor have an fundamental innovations that advanced the gameplay of the original C&C? Not really.
That is not to say they were good games, but the history of C&C, through Westwood and EA, is iterative. Each new version, while sharing the core gameplay, added new stuff: New maps, new sides, new units, new graphics, new cutscenes.
I just think blaming EA for destroying innovation in the C&C series is a little misguided, as Westwood wasn’t necessarily doing a lot of innovation themselves.
It is also worth noting that this might just be due to the recession, it is hardly like these are the ONLY people that EA are laying off. I don’t think this necessarily foretells the end of the strategy genre just yet.
@Cubit,
You really surprised me with that assertions, my friend. I think you may be confused about when EA bought Westwood…?
Westwood wasn’t necessarily doing a lot of innovation…? LOL man.
Westwood *only* invented the genre with Dune II, *only* defined the basic elements of the modern RTS with C&C, and implemented to the grade of superbr the concept of a spin-off with Red Alert.
EA did nothing but add money to the latest game and relaunch it. Their biggest idea was C&C: Generals. The rest, were games whose only importance where beeing part of the C&C IP.
@ Novack
I apologize, as I should have been more clear.
What I meant to say, is that Westwood didn’t do a lot of innovate gameplay things after the original Command & Conquer. Subsequent releases saw them refine and add to that formula, which EA also continued to do after they bought Westwood.
@Cubit, no problem, I think I undertood what you meant.
But that confirms that you are confused about when EA bought Westood, and explains our discrepancy.
After the aforementioned by me, Westood made no other games.
The rest of the C&C saga was after the EA acquisition, that even ended in the closing of the studio -remanents- in 2003.
Anyway, in the end, this is all a matter of opinion. What I meant to express is that there is a clear difference from before and after the EA intervention in the franchise, but always pointing to more sells, and not so much to quality. The last C&C was a joke, with no real storyline, nor depth of any kind in any character, despite including a dozen of TV/movie stars.