EA cans free-to-play Command & Conquer

Developer Victory Games ‘disbanded’

We’d like more Command & Conquer — without the hooks of free-to-play digging into our skin, if at all possible. I guess it’s not. Electronic Arts has canceled the new C&C, which has been playable in an alpha capacity, and closed developer Victory Games.

“Part of being in a creative team is the understanding that not all of your choices are going to work out,” writes the studio. “In this case, we shifted the game away from campaign mode and built an economy-based, multiplayer experience. Your feedback from the alpha trial is clear: We are not making the game you want to play. That is why, after much difficult deliberation, we have decided to cease production of this version of the game. Although we deeply respect the great work done by our talented team, ultimately it’s about getting you the game you expect and deserve.”

Polygon got confirmation from EA that “The team at Victory Games will be disbanded. Wherever possible, we are working to help these talented people find other opportunities within EA.”

“We believe that Command & Conquer is a powerful franchise with huge potential and a great history, and we are determined to get the best game made as soon as possible,” said Victory. “To that end, we have already begun looking at a number of alternatives to get the game back on track.” It’s been a bad time to be a fan of this series for quite a while now.

EA cancels Command & Conquer, closes development studio [Polygon]