As an ardent fan of Command & Conquer, I must admit I had to do a bit of digging on Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances before putting pen to paper. You might wonder why this game caught my attention today. It’s simple, really.
In a rather unexpected move, EA has just set up a Steam page for it, hinting at an impending re-release (according to PCGamesN).
Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances is a bit of an oddball in the celebrated, albeit sadly inactive, real-time strategy series. It’s a relic from the era of browser-based, free-to-play MMOs—a concept that feels like a history lesson now.
Debuting online in May 2012, well over a decade ago, it’s not exactly the title that jumps to mind when you think of Command & Conquer.
The Steam version will also be free-to-play and will include the strategic layer—a feature not usually associated with C&C—yet it was a vital part of the original browser game. I’m genuinely curious about how EA plans to translate the game’s social aspects and friend-invite features from the browser experience to a desktop application.
In Tiberium Alliances, you choose between two factions: GDI or NOD. You gain access to their respective buildings, units, and defenses, and can research upgrades just like in the traditional RTS games.
The game’s strategic element is all about grabbing territories, forming alliances with friends, and indulging in some classic 2010s browser-game action—all of which seem to be making a comeback in the new Steam version. Speaking of which, although the Steam store simply states ‘coming soon’ as the launch date, given the game’s niche status, it might drop unexpectedly during an event like The Game Awards.
While revisiting this old-school MMO might be a fun little trip down memory lane, it’s the remasters of classic C&C titles that fans truly crave. It’s puzzling that the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection seemed like a one-off. For a brief moment, it seemed as though EA was set on unearthing and revitalizing its older franchises, yet nothing seemed to follow that release—unless you count the re-packaging and re-releasing of Command & Conquer games on Steam earlier this year, which, to me, doesn’t quite cut it.