14 DAY TRIAL // Command & Conquer was one of the most important brands in strategy gaming up until a few years ago, but now it seems that the franchise can only make the news when another canceled game linked to it is unveiled.
A group of fans with some inside help have uncovered a new trailer for a game called Command & Conquer Arena, which was never announced by series publisher Electronic Arts and was then canceled, apparently rather early during the development process.
The trailer shows units from the Global Defensive Initiative, with the well-known Titan and Wolverine taking center stage, the Brotherhood of Nod, with a cyborg like unit entering the battle, and from the alien faction the Scrin.
The trailer also mentions upgrades for the units and shows a cheering crowd watching battles on a huge screen, with players apparently able to buy units to add to their armies rather than built them from basses.
The trailer also shows off the tagline of the game: “The war is over. But the battles continue.”
It would seems that Command & Conquer Arena was oriented towards the multiplayer experience and could have been an attempt at creating an MMO real time strategy, occupying a niche of the gaming market that has so far been ignored.
The game has a visual style that is close to both Command & Conquer 3 and its sequel, suggesting that it might have been in development around 2007 or 2008.
Electronic Arts has not reacted officially to the trailer for the canceled game and will probably not offer any information on it.
Command & Conquer Arena might never arrive in the hands of gamers, but it seems that Electronic Arts is interested in creating another title in the long-running franchise.
A studio called Victory Games was set up, with some staff coming from the closed-down Los Angeles strategy-oriented studio, and there are suggestions that their main aim will be to reboot the Command & Conquer experience.
Here's a look at the trailer: