During the EA Play pre-E3 press conference, a former RTS mainstay made its return in the form of Command & Conquer: Rivals — a presumably free-to-play title similar to Clash of Clans and other action-hybrid titles.
Longtime staples of the genre like resource collection and unit production are still present in this scaled-down, esports-focused take on real-time strategy. Two players square off against each other on a small map to claim a central point and launch a pair of nukes at their opponents to claim victory. Several iconic units from C&C history did make an appearance in Rivals‘ brief showing on EA‘s stage — groups of marines, the mammoth tank, tiberium harvesters and flamethrower units were all accounted for.
No word on how Command & Conquer: Rivals will be monetized, and the game is still in pre-alpha. North American Android users can head on over to the Play Store and pre-register for access to the pre-alpha release. An iOS release is set to follow sometime later this summer.
EA’s last attempt at reviving the long-dormant Command & Conquer franchise happened half a decade ago, all the way back in 2013. Originally announced as “C&C: Generals 2”, 2013’s cancelled entry was focused entirely on multiplayer and was shut down soon after a closed alpha test concluded.
