EA releases source code of classic command and conquer titles
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In February 2025, an announcement was made to the command and conquer community that the source code of older titles within the game franchise were recovered, and made public under the GPLv3 license.[1] To help the community further, the Steam Workshop has also been integrated into these titles to add additional community content.[1]
Background
The project to recover the source code was led by Luke Feenan, a strong advocate for video game preservation.[1][2] Many of these titles already had a strong community around them that were actively working on the games, keeping the games alive. As for the licensing, for example C&C Generals Zero Hour has been released under the GPLv3 with their own trademark terms.[3]
Consumer response
The community reacted enthusiastically to the announcement, some even describing it as a monumental step forward.[1][3] Having access to the source code of the games themselves also benefits the modding community. Every entry is now open-source except the titles Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2, which makes the community suspect that the source code of these titles have been lost.[4][5][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Vessella, Jim (27 Feb 2025). "C&C Steam Workshop Support & Source Code". Retrieved 9 Mar 2025 – via Reddit.
- ↑ Aguilar, Jorge A. (28 Feb 2025). "EA Just Made These Command & Conquer Games Open-Source". How-To Geek. Archived from the original on 6 Mar 2025. Retrieved 9 Mar 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bryant, Gardiner (28 Feb 2025). "BREAKING: EA releases C&C source code under GPL3!". Retrieved 9 Mar 2025 – via PeerTube.
- ↑ Sims, Daniel (28 Feb 2025). "EA releases Command & Conquer source code, boosting modding capabilities". TechSpot. Archived from the original on 28 Feb 2025. Retrieved 9 Mar 2025.
- ↑ "EA Open Sources Command and Conquer: Red Alert, along with other games". 27 Feb 2025. Retrieved 9 Mar 2025 – via Y Combinator.
- ↑ "Weird how Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 are missing from the new source code release & Steam Workshop support *speculation intensifies*". 27 Feb 2025. Retrieved 9 Mar 2025 – via Reddit.