Electronic Arts‘ position as a publisher has not always been viewed positively. As a profit-driven business, many of their past decisions have largely been about the bottom line, sometimes disrupting the structure of their games. However, this does not mean EA has never done anything for the community. One recent move that is getting celebrated is their decision to support fans of their classic strategy games, such as Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Generals.
EA has officially released the full source code for several of their classic strategy games, making them available for modders to utilise to their fullest potential. All of these source codes have been released under the GPL license, ensuring that modders can modify and experiment with these games without any legal concerns in the future.
The strategy games included in this release are Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Renegade, and Command & Conquer: Generals, along with its expansion, Zero Hour.
Additionally, EA has integrated Steam Workshop support for several titles, including C&C: Generals and Zero Hour. This support includes features such as a Mission Editor and World Builder, allowing content to be created and distributed directly via Steam Workshop, making it easier for the community to share and access mods.
To further aid modders, EA has also released a support pack containing essential files such as XML source code, Schema, Scripts, Shaders, and Maps for all games utilizing the SAGE Engine. Modders interested in accessing these resources can find them available on EA’s official GitHub page.
Despite this positive step, EA has yet to show significant interest in developing new strategy games. Their recent focus has been on remastering classic titles rather than creating new ones. Nevertheless, this latest move provides a significant boost to the modding community, breathing new life into these beloved strategy games.
