New Command & Conquer revealed, pulled

A new game in the long-running real-time strategy series Command & Conquer looks set for a reveal after the game's official website spilled new details before EA yanked it off the internet.

RockPaperShotgun noticed cncstage.com updated last night to reveal the formation of a new studio based in three locations: Los Angeles, Texas and Shanghai. It's called Victory Games and is designed to head up EA's entire strategy portfolio.

Previous C&C developer EALA was closed last year.

The information has since been pulled, suggesting someone somewhere pressed the cncstage.com button a touch early.

Victory Games' boss is Might & Magic creator Jon Van Caneghem, who EA announced in November 2009 would take charge of the series for a revival.

At the time Van Canegham hinted at a "direct-to-consumer" future for the venerable RTS series.

"It allows you to do everything you would have expected from a boxed game, but it adds a lot more to it... being connected and connected with players, and persistence, the social elements of playing against each other with other friends," Van Canegham said.

His comments echoed those of EA Games vice president Nick Earl, who reportedly told staff in an internal email that a team at EALA was working on "Command & Conquer with a new digital model".

"What you're seeing with all the social gamers on Facebook... they are actually already playing strategy games whether they know it or not," Van Canegham said in 2009.

"Taking a franchise like Command & Conquer and expanding it to a wider audience is part of the strategy."

Now, in an interview with cncstage.com (also pulled), Van Canegham said he's working on a "AAA Command & Conquer game".

"I can tell you it's a Command & Conquer game for the PC, but we're not yet at a stage where I can go into any details - we'll be prepared to make a more formal announcement later in the year.

"We're not just working on a game, though. Our general focus is on the future of Command & Conquer. That means updating a lot of the core technology to create a stable base for future development, and leveraging that work on this first game."

And from the website's About page:

"With over 30 million sold, Command & Conquer now looks to the future, with plans to combine classic RTS gameplay with bold new technology, innovative new concepts and, as always, tanks by the dozen."

The last C&C game was March 2010's divisive entry Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight. Alec Meer reviewed for Eurogamer, awarding it a 6/10. "That it is such a giant step away from the mechanics C&C has clung onto for so long is bold and exciting in concept, but so absolute in practice that it's an insult to the faithful," he wrote.