Command & Conquer: Generals 2

Command & Conquer: Generals 2 was a cancelled real-time strategy game in the Command & Conquer series that was under development by Victory Games, announced during the 2011 Spike TV Video Game Awards, as a sequel to the 2003 video game Command & Conquer: Generals. It would have been the first video game to be part of the Command & Conquer - Free To Play platform, and would have utilized the Frostbite 2 engine, which would have brought about the most advanced graphics seen in the Command & Conquer games so far. This also means that the game would not be compatible with Windows XP due to the engine's lack of support for DirectX 9, which was the case with Battlefield 3 and Need for Speed: The Run. Mods would not be officially supported either, due to the engine's complexity.

Development
Victory Games was founded in late 2010, but wasn't introduced until February, 2011. EA_CIRE, the C&C community manager, had been posting bracket games, polls and created a special space on the official Command & Conquer forums that enabled visitors to suggest their ideas for the next C&C game.

In November 2011, rumours surfaced that Victory Games had been placed under BioWare's supervision, and a screenshot leaked, showing a destroyed GLA Technical with its driver in the air. Speculations arose, especially when EA registered new Internet domains on December 2, 2011, mainly using the keywords "Generals" and "Alliances". Around that time, a three-second footage video of the new game was featured in the trailer for Spike TV Video Game Awards 2011, which mentioned a new RTS game under development at a BioWare studio.

On December 10, during the mentioned event, a full 30-second trailer was released, confirming the title of Command & Conquer: Generals 2 and showing two of three sides - the European Union and the Global Liberation Army. Victory Games was confirmed to be a part of the BioWare brand, and was named BioWare Victory.

On August 15, 2012, the game was moved to be part of a free to play platform, simply called Command & Conquer and the single-player campaign was dropped. Nearly the whole community went into a frenzy, criticizing EA about the imbalances of EA's style of free-to-play, and that the game is going to be oriented around multiplayer only.

EA_CIRE, the global community manager, later responded to this saying he took the time to read the fan's feedback carefully and it wasn't a surprise for him to see the two major complaints being lack of singleplayer and pay-to-win. He later stated there also has been some misunderstanding out there that he wants to resolve about how most people automatically set free-to-play equal to pay-to-win and how there will be a singleplayer set as a DLC.

On September 9, 2012, Frank Gibeau stated that the new game will have a single-player campaign after all due to the harsh community response given to EA with this statement:

"Our intention with Command & Conquer is to create a triple-A experience, and by that I mean we're using Frostbite tech, we're using very high-end graphics. Does that mean it's not going to have single-player? No, that's something we've obviously heard loud and clear that is important to people. The beauty of free-to-play, is that we can adjust and adapt to what we're hearing as opposed to, "I'm sorry, it's two months from ship and it is what it is." It's a very different model because you don't have to build as much. You build in response to your audience."

- Frank Gibeau

On November 22, 2012, the French fansite CnCSaga.com obtained seven work-in-progress videos of the storyline cinematics, revealing some new characters and units, with some old ones returning, like Jarmen Kell. There are also indications of an APA faction (abbreviation later revealed to mean Asian-Pacific Alliance ) as the third faction that unites East Asian countries and a possible return of General Tao. It is assumed that the videos originated from a former Victory Games employee. Shortly thereafter, they were forced to remove the videos by the development team.

The C&amp;C Community Summit took place in Los Angeles in mid-December 2012, where selected community members were given the chance to play the game and share feedback. From leaked footage and information from various fansites, the APA logo can be seen briefly, the sidebar is (temporarily) replaced with the bottom bar, power plants can only power buildings in their immediate vicinity, credits and Oil are the gatherable resources and construction dozers are confirmed to return.

Plot
In the near future, world leaders are seconds away from signing a global treaty and bringing an end to war as we know it, when a devastating terrorist attack rips through the peace conference, killing all in attendance. In a world left with no politicians, diplomats, or activists, only the Generals remain to put an end to global terrorism once and for all as the Global Liberation Army strikes back.

Features

 * All-out War – Take control of three unique factions, competing for resources, building up your base of operation, and leading massive batteries of tanks, soldiers, and aircraft into battle.


 * Uncanny Sense of Realism – Frostbite 2 technology allows for visceral, visually stunning conflict at an epic scale. Incredibly detailed units and environments, dynamic physics, and exhilarating visual effects bring the battle to life in ways never before seen. This is the closest thing to real war without the consequences.


 * New Ways to Dominate or Ally with your Friends – Go beyond classic deathmatch with a selection of new multiplayer game modes, designed with both cooperative and competitive play in mind.


 * Thrilling Campaign – Command the war on terror in an electrifying single-player campaign.


 * Experience the dramatic story from multiple perspectives—from heroic General to crazed terrorist—while engaging the enemy in pulse-pounding tactical combat.


 * Ever-evolving Experience – Enhance your game with an expanding array of downloadable content. From maps and units to factions, campaigns, and more, the fight against terrorism is deeper than ever.

Trivia
In an interview for Community Battlecast Primetime, Aaron Kaufman, the former C&C community manager, has revealed that, while he was still at EA from 2004 to 2010, the development team always made projects that were internally known as Generals 2, but never made it to a more serious development phase.