In a recently released financial document, EA revealed that it was working on a list of unannounced games due for release in late 2023. It's no surprise that the game publisher is working on new games, but the details in the document have us all in the dark. TRG. enthusiastically discussing what they could, no, they should be. Like a new Command & Conquer game.
EA says it's working on a major IP, a partner title, a remake, and a sports title in the doc. The associated title will most likely be Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2, a game that has already been confirmed to be in production; Although initial reports said it was early 2023, this document could be the first sign that its release date has been pushed back.
Earlier this week, EA and FIFA announced the end of their 30-year partnership, with both organizations saying they would continue to create soccer games. FIFA with an official brand title; EA with a new EA Sports FC series. This could be the unannounced sports title listed in the financial document, although EA is yet to release FIFA 23 next year, so it seems unlikely that it will release a competing sports game, presumably from a different studio, during the same period. year.
Let the speculation begin
Now, right up front, I'll admit that what follows is pure speculation, as the details shared by EA are the most sparse. For example, "main IP" could mean a new game defined on a main IP or a new main IP entirely. I'm leaning towards the former only because EA has shown that it wants to revisit its early hits from new angles, like Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond, the VR reinterpretation of its WWII shooter.
The two most likely contenders are Medal of Honor and Titanfall. When EA bought Respawn Entertainment, the developer of Titanfall and Apex Legends, in 2017, it also bought a team made up of the developers behind Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, one of the most critically acclaimed entries in the series; it is also the team that formed Infinity Ward and created Call of Duty. Essentially, EA is sitting on one of the most talented first-person shooter game developers in the industry. Of course, in Titanfall and Titanfall 2, the team created a series that was equally well-reviewed, and while it didn't sell much, it continued to grow a dedicated fanbase.
When asked about Titanfall in the past, Respawn said that the series is not dead, giving hope for Titanfall 3 one day. However, the studio is struggling right now, not only working on a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, but also on an unannounced first-person strategy shooter set in the Star Wars universe. So maybe a new Medal of Honor or Titanfall game will have to wait.
It's time for a new Command & Conquer
I want to see EA relaunch the Command & Conquer series. One of the first games I played was Dune 2, the strategy game created by Westwood Studios, the team that created Command & Conquer and eventually became an EA studio. The series went from strength to strength in the '90s and early 2000s, with Red Alert 2 and Command & Conquer: Generals being real highlights.
The strategy game market bottomed out in the 2000s, with most major publishers except Blizzard dropping out of the genre. And, even then, Blizzard left its Warcraft games behind to focus on its MMO and StarCraft, while a big series, like many strategy games released these days, caters to a hardcore fan base. Command & Conquer scratched the itch of a casual gamer.
When any hope of a return to glory for Command & Conquer should have been exhausted, last year EA decided to remake the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert. These remakes are more than just remasters; they love remakes of classic strategy games, helmed by the team at Westwood Studios (now operating as an independent developer called Petroglyph Games). They are truly some of the best remakes I have ever played and have been very well received by fans. That, coupled with the success of Microsoft Age of Empires IV, may be enough to convince EA to develop an entirely new Command & Conquer game.
And, hey, if EA isn't making a new Command & Conquer game, I'm just demanding that the remake mentioned be Command & Conquer: Renegade.