A significant victory has been achieved in the realm of video game preservation, thanks to Electronic Arts’ (EA) decision to make the source code of four Command & Conquer games open source. The company has released the source code for Command & Conquer, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Renegade, and Command & Conquer: Generals under a General Public License (GPL). All four projects are now available to the public on GitHub.

In addition to this move, EA is also introducing Steam Workshop support for more modern titles in the real-time strategy franchise. This includes a modding support pack featuring assets from series titles built on the SAGE engine, such as Command & Conquer Red Alert 3. Although the real-time strategy genre has experienced a decline in popularity in recent years, the Command & Conquer series still boasts a dedicated fan base. The renewed interest from modders could potentially attract new players to the franchise. Moreover, Red Alert 3 is notable for containing one of the most memorable line deliveries in video game history.

EA previously released meticulous remasters of the first two Command & Conquer games in 2020, which included the release of the source code for those games. In December, the company also made several of its patents for accessibility features open source.

This move is encouraging, as it demonstrates EA’s willingness to take positive action regarding a beloved franchise. This is particularly noteworthy given the technical issues that plagued the company’s recent efforts to remaster The Sims and The Sims 2, which required heavy-duty patches to resolve.