Victory: Command & Conquer back on top

The leaked news that EA has created a new developer responsible for breathing new life into the Command & Conquer series is now official, and it comes with a pledge to fans: C&C will be top RTS dog once again.

Victory Games, the three-pronged studio collective formed to create a "AAA Command & Conquer game", has promised fans it is "committed to bringing Command & Conquer back to the forefront for the next 10 years and beyond".

In an interview on the revamped Command & Conquer website, vice president of strategy games Jon Van Caneghem said: "We've put together a team made up of some of the best talent from previous Command & Conquer games along with a great mix of quality industry veterans. Everyone that we've brought on board is very passionate about making strategy games."

Following the launch of divisive Command & Conquer games in recent years, other RTS games, such as Relic's Dawn of War series and of course Blizzard's StarCraft, have emerged as leading lights.

Clearly, EA wants Command & Conquer to reclaim its RTS crown. An announcement on Victory's first new game is expected later this year.

So, what's in store?

"With over 30 million sold, Command & Conquer now looks to the future, with plans to combine classic RTS gameplay with bold new technology, innovative new concepts and, as always, tanks by the dozen," reads the website.

Some have speculated that C&C will go down the social route, and incorporate Facebook and other networking features.

Van Canegham has hinted in the past at a "direct-to-consumer" future for the venerable RTS series.

"It allows you to do everything you would have expected from a boxed game, but it adds a lot more to it... being connected and connected with players, and persistence, the social elements of playing against each other with other friends," Van Canegham said in 2009.