BioWare announces Command & Conquer: Generals 2

By Fred Dutton Published 11 December, 2011

UPDATE: Gameplay info, first screens.

As rumoured last month, Command & Conquer: Generals 2 is currently in development, BioWare has announced. It's a PC exclusive.

A brief trailer was shown for the game at today's Spike VGA event in Los Angeles showing a skirmish in an unnamed city.

Terrorists have apparently blown up a peace conference killing most major world leaders, leaving military generals to scrap it out for supremacy.

The sequel to the 2003 PC real time strategy spin-off (which was developed by EA Los Angeles) is being built on the Frostbite 2 engine and is due for release some time in 2013.

According to the game's official site it's being developed by BioWare Victory - formally Victory Games - and you can expect the following gameplay features:

  • All-out War - Take control of three unique factions, competing for resources, building up your base of operation, and leading massive batteries of tanks, soldiers, and aircraft into battle.
  • Uncanny Sense of Realism - Frostbite 2 technology allows for visceral, visually stunning conflict at an epic scale. Incredibly detailed units and environments, dynamic physics, and exhilarating visual effects bring the battle to life in ways never before seen. This is the closest thing to real war without the consequences.
  • New Ways to Dominate or Ally with your Friends - Go beyond classic deathmatch with a selection of new multiplayer game modes, designed with both cooperative and competitive play in mind.
  • Thrilling Campaign - Command the war on terror in an electrifying single-player campaign. Experience the dramatic story from multiple perspectives-from heroic General to crazed terrorist-while engaging the enemy in pulse-pounding tactical combat.
  • Ever-evolving Experience - Enhance your game with an expanding array of downloadable content. From maps and units to factions, campaigns, and more, the fight against terrorism is deeper than ever.

"We're bringing BioWare's vision for emotionally engaging gameplay and great attention to quality to the strategy genre and the Command & Conquer franchise," commented BioWare boss Ray Muzyka.

"I am excited to welcome BioWare Victory to our label. They are a great addition and the team is working hard to make sure Generals 2 truly immerses and engages players into this intense, gritty, modern war experience."

We'll post the trailer as soon as it's made available, but take a look at the screens below for now.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (66) Latest comment 5 months ago

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  • peeps #1 6 months ago

    Nice. I actually really enjoyed generals

  • Dafub #2 6 months ago

    mmmmmmmmm............Could be good has the least baggage of the C&C games

  • GavinUK86 #3 6 months ago

    im wondering if it's still gonna be a rts game. my first thought would obviously be a yes, but you never know with bioware these days.

  • orangpelupa #4 6 months ago

    also hoping it will modable. Generals is good and then comes the Mods and the game keep me playing for long time

  • Dafub #5 6 months ago

    I hope they update the resource model but not in the way they did it in 4

  • Dafub #6 6 months ago

    Plus Gla Rarely won a medium too long multi game as they were badly concieved in multi player

  • Sponz #7 6 months ago

    Hang on, wasn't C&C:Generals released in early 2003?

    Edit - Yes... http://www.eurogamer.net/games/command-and-conquer-generals-pc
    Edited by Sponz at 11/12/11 @ 02:25

  • neilka #8 6 months ago

    Eurogamer generally seems to have a pretty slippery grasp on such concepts as "time" and "facts".

  • GaryHoward #9 6 months ago

    Bioware making an RTS...this is new to me. It will either be good or they will 'Dragon Age 2' it up.

  • jogyourmind #10 6 months ago

    They talk about lots of dlc like that is a positive thing :( I hope the game is good tho. For me, Generals only got good once you added Zero Hour.
    Edited by jogyourmind at 11/12/11 @ 05:21

  • darkmorgado #11 6 months ago

    Whose bright idea was it to make a sequel to the worst game in the franchise?

    Also: Please stop using the word "visceral" in press releases. It's just a meaningless fucking buzzword.

  • Inmediasress #12 6 months ago

    @GaryHoward
    It isn't really Bioware developing.
    They don't exist anymore it's just a brand name.

  • anomagnus #13 6 months ago

    @GaryHoward

    Bioware aren't making an RTS game. Victory games are, they're just reporting into Bioware now. Its just a business acquisition.

  • RageRiot #14 6 months ago

    This is good news. Huge C&C fan - just hope they make the maps a little bigger.

  • Wempler #15 6 months ago

    Generals does not deserver the C&C-title. The gameplay has so very little to do with C&C. The same goes for the newer "C&C" games such as RA3 and especially C&C4 (and to a lesser extent C&C3).
    The core mechanics are completely warped.

  • Paul_cz #16 6 months ago

    Wow, EA really are fucking retarded. They should have left Bioware brand to RPGs. Dilluting it like that is super shortsighted.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #17 6 months ago

    @Wempler: Generals does not deserver the C&C-title. The gameplay has so very little to do with C&C.

    That is true - however, the game was quite good actually. As you say it had nothing to do with C&C but that's probably some PR/Marketing guy's fault.

    Personally I look forward to commanding tractors yelling 'let loose the juice' again.

  • RedHill #18 6 months ago

    Why there isn't trailer for the game?

  • Wempler #19 6 months ago

    @Der_tolle_Emil
    Indeed, the game was quite good. The campaigns were not very interesting, but the three factions were refreshingly different, and it was possible to have loads of fun with any one of them.

  • khaz #20 6 months ago

    Generals was by a country mile the most balanced out of ALL the C&C games. I'd wager it was the most balanced RTS game after Starcraft. Not to mention the oodles of mods for the game.

    Stonking great game. This should be worth a buy hopefully. :)

  • peeps #21 6 months ago

    @GaryHoward it's kind of misleading though as 'Victory Games' was set up by EA to work on a new C&C game and has some talent who worked on previous C&C games. Victory Games has now been re-branded as 'Bioware Victory' but I'm not sure how much involvement the Bioware we know from Mass Effect and Dragon Age will have with this game

  • Anciegher #22 6 months ago

    I don't like the sound of the last paragraph, is it....F2P??? :S

  • Phoenisis #23 6 months ago

    Looking forward to seeing how Bioware will manage to shoehorn dating sim romances into the RTS genre.

  • Hantheman #24 6 months ago

    surprised they didn't turn it into a FPS...

  • riz23 #25 6 months ago

    This talk of Victory games and Bioware is a good insight into how IP and Studio tech gets passed around the various studios in EA these days. You've got a Westwood IP (which becomes, sort of, EALA), made by a studio formed of some people that worked on C&C games. They are using a DICE engine (frostbite 2) and it's got a Bioware branding plumped on top for good measure. I suspect it may well incorporate some version of Autolog/Battlelog as a persistent social overlay. That's Criterions baby.

    You've got FIFA animation tech in Battlefield and so on. It's wise to share the expertise around.

  • MistaGav #26 6 months ago

    I just hope they include live actors for the cutscenes. It just wouldn't feel like a true C&C game without them...that and a slight camp story.

  • uninspiredcup #27 6 months ago

    People will hype type because of the Bioware tag.
    But Creative Assembly and Relic are far superior developers.

  • Dafub #28 6 months ago

    @uninspiredcup Absolutly right on both counts

  • Dafub #29 6 months ago

    @khaz My god No it was'nt EA's own numbers at the time showed that multi player was deeply skewed against the GLA

  • Rusty_M #30 6 months ago

    Interesting. I really liked Generals, although I never really played it as much as it deserved. Now where's that disc?

    Admittedly, it's a surprising engine to use for a RTS.

  • Wyrm #31 6 months ago

    Generals was bloody brilliant, the last RTS game I really loved.

    Hopefully this will keep a twist of fantasy to it rather than trying to be a realistic, straight faced military RTS.

  • guts #32 6 months ago

    Generals is a superb game. I still play it now. If they keep the game play similar and just improve it graphically and have bigger multiplayer maps it will he a winner. Original C&C stole many hours of my life, but I did fond generals had the edge with the camera viewpoint and military units. Although would be nice to be able to use boats etc again.

  • dutzan #33 6 months ago

    Frack yeahhhhh!

  • Baleoce #34 6 months ago

    Best reveal of the night. Completely unexpected. I just hope I'm not forced to use Origin when this does eventually come out.

  • ObliviousTroll #35 6 months ago

    That's quite a lot of infantry you've trained there, Bioware. I can't wait to see this crazy plan.

  • Whizzo #36 6 months ago

    Admittedly, it's a surprising engine to use for a RTS.

    EA seem to be using Frostbite 2 for all sorts of things from FPS to racers and now RTS, perhaps they'd rather not keep paying Epic for using Unreal and use their own tech?

  • benzin24 #37 6 months ago

    Bioware + Generals?

    Can't wait to romance General Juhziz

  • Wempler #38 6 months ago

    @Baleoce
    Of course you'll be forced to use Origin. They want to force people to use their subpar platform.

  • CWolf #39 6 months ago

    http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20111207

  • Softie2k #40 6 months ago

    Bioware should slow down some.

  • F3r0city #41 6 months ago

    The Best news i've heard all day :)

  • Toodle122 #42 6 months ago

    As this is being made by Bioware Victory, formerly Victory Games which was made up of EA LA employees (those who made the last two god awful games), colour me skeptical.

  • NewbieZilla #43 6 months ago

    *Facepalm*

  • riz23 #44 6 months ago

    Generals had one of my favourite game lines in it. When you clicked on the GLA workers they would say (in a bad pakistani accent), "Can I have some shoes?" Probably not PC but it always made me laugh. Hell the whole game was a bit non-pc wasn't it?

  • IvorB #45 6 months ago

    Bioware continue to spread themsleves thin building up their dog's breakfast portfolio of game releases.

  • davisorle #46 6 months ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • Zaiz #47 6 months ago

    Bioware for eeeeveryone!

    No seriously I love General and I'm so happy to see it back. Make an HD remake, don't mess with the mechanics, don't add stupid new stuff. Just make it a base building RTS with an excellent lack of caring about whether or not suicide bombers are politically correct.

    Also, don't tell the media or we'll never hear the end of a game that lets you suicide bomb american military installations. To death.

  • Khanivor #48 6 months ago

    Generals was awesome in LAN. Awesome.

  • -Mew- #49 6 months ago

    EU and GLA are the known sides, one other is going to get it. Could be China could be India or something.

    Anyways finally EU IN A GAME!!

  • geox30 #50 6 months ago

    Generals was good and a rts game running with frostbite 2 seems exciting.What I would really love to see is a new Company of Heroes game with a modern setting.

  • Skirlasvoud #51 6 months ago

    Bioware... develops an RTS? Bioware? Why aren't they sticking to what they're good at? Where's my RPG?

    Unless of course, they're being aided by a division of EA that HAS experience with the RTS genre. And with aided I mean: Bioware's staff is being diluted with EA's handpicked until you can't tell Bioware from EA anymore.
    "We're bringing BioWare's vision for emotionally engaging gameplay and great attention to quality to the strategy genre and the Command & Conquer franchise," commented BioWare boss Ray Muzyka.
    EA's pulling a reversed Westwood on us: First they cannibalize the greatest development studio of the past decade (the very same that gave us C&C) and now they're using the bastardized spin-off of an IP that wasn't theirs to begin with, to seal the fate of the greatest development studio of this current decade.

    Then they sedate by assuring us that they're committing "our" emotionally engaging and quality sensitive Bioware into making their products better. That's like the devil parading around with a sock puppet shaped like an angel, convincing damned souls that things are looking up.

    I'd hate them if EA wasn't so beautifully cruel.

    And no matter how this new generals will do, EA will use it to integrate Bioware into its own portfolio.

    Success: We're pleased to announce that EA and Bioware will be working much closer together from now on!
    Failure: We've been forced to disband and reorganize certain branches to assure product quality.
    Edited by Skirlasvoud at 12/12/11 @ 00:45

  • ASHBERY76 #52 6 months ago

    This has nothing to do with Bioware this is just a silly branding.Dam EA.

    "Terrorists have apparently blown up a peace conference killing most major world leaders, leaving military generals to scrap it out for supremacy"

    lol terrible.

  • rottingyoda #53 6 months ago

    @riz23 I completely forgot that. Thank you. I lol'd

  • Valland #54 6 months ago

    Does it have gay romances?

  • Baleoce #55 6 months ago

    To the people surprised by them using Frostbyte 2. Just because the graphics engine is made relevant by a game such as Battlefield 3, doesn't mean it lacks the versatility to expand outside that genre. Just look at the vast array of games that use the Unreal 3 engine.

  • jogyourmind #56 6 months ago

    @Baleoce
    Just because the graphics engine is made relevant by a game such as Battlefield 3, doesn't mean it lacks the versatility to expand outside that genre. Just look at the vast array of games that use the Unreal 3 engine.
    Fair point. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but don't come running to me when it runs at 1 fps with an army of tanks on the screen :) Although seriously, I actually am glad to finally get a good looking C&C game. The last few versions of it have been far below what I expect. C&C4 was just an all round catastrophe but even the one before that was not that good looking, with cartoon graphics. It will be nice to finally get one that doesn't look dated by the time it's released. If it actually plays well too.... maybe I can finally take a break from Forged Alliance! :p


    @darkmorgado
    Whose bright idea was it to make a sequel to the worst game in the franchise?
    What makes you think that your solitary opinion is important? Try opening your eyes for once. Generals was actually very popular and obviously that is why they have decided to recover the franchise with it.
    Edited by jogyourmind at 11/12/11 @ 23:59

  • ajaxpliskin #57 6 months ago

    PLEASE release on 360 or next gen console. I love Kane's Wrath on 360.

  • hiddenranbir #58 6 months ago

    @uninspiredcup Except for the utter trash fail CA did with Stormrise, which was the more standard RTS affair.

  • jimr9999us #59 5 months ago

    lol, it's not EA anymore. It's Bioware.

  • anomagnus #60 5 months ago

    @Skirlasvoud

    did you even read the news article, or the others, myself included, who have pointed out that bioware are not developing this?

    Even if they were developing it, why is it impossible for a games developer to make more than one type of game? I don't complain when From software puts out Dark Souls, instead of armoured core 5 (surely what they are know for), and nor do others. Just relax.
    Edited by anomagnus at 12/12/11 @ 07:31

  • blackrapt0r #61 5 months ago

    C&c generals is my fav c&c. I just hope the access viotion bug is gone. And has better error messages.

  • username84 #62 5 months ago

    I hope it has the original C&C soundtrack. Although somehow I doubt it.

  • Casserole #63 5 months ago

    What a great game it was, hilarious quotes

    "I have no shoes!"
    "AK 47s for everyone!"

    and the music was fitting. I hope the sequel follows in the same vein.

  • Smerch36rus #64 5 months ago

    Огромная просьба многих тысяч геймеров чтоб при создание этой игры все не уходило в инопланетные постройки и технику а было реалистично и главное чтоб была Россия, потому что будет обидно не увидеть любимую страну в этой игре. Хочется огромное количество техники самолетов ну и конечно спец умения как и в старых добрых генералов. Будем ждать выхода!

  • Jordthebrave #65 5 months ago

    I actually can not wait for this game! :D :D

  • rudedudejude #66 5 months ago

    "This is the closest thing to real war without the consequences."

    Really? Come on, I know you need PR, sales blurb, blah blah blah but please? Corny-est line ever, would probably be more suitable for something like ARMA not generals...