Today marks a significant advancement for video game preservation, as EA has made the groundbreaking choice to release the source code of four iconic Command & Conquer titles as open source. This includes Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, Renegade, and Generals. All four projects are now accessible to the public through Github under a GPL license.

Furthermore, EA plans to enhance modern entries in this real-time strategy franchise by incorporating Steam Workshop support. This update will include a modding support package featuring assets from various titles within the SAGE engine, such as Command & Conquer Red Alert 3. Although real-time strategy games have seen a decline in popularity in recent times, the C&C series continues to maintain a dedicated fanbase. This new wave of modding interest might attract a fresh cohort of players to the franchise, especially considering that Red Alert 3 is known for one of the most memorable lines in gaming history.

In 2020, EA released detailed remastered versions of the first two Command & Conquer games, which also included the unveiling of their source code. Additionally, in December, the company opened source rights to several of its accessibility patents.

It’s heartening to witness EA taking proactive steps with a beloved franchise, particularly after its recent remastering of The Sims and The Sims 2 encountered numerous technical difficulties at launch, necessitating substantial patches to resolve issues.