Multiplayer-only C&C Generals 2 will launch free RTS "destination" in 2013.
via ars technica

The concept of paying money up front for the privilege of playing a PC game is beginning to look downright old-fashioned these days. Venerable real-time strategy series Command & Conquer has become the latest to make the transition away from up-front purchases today, with EA today announcing the launch of a "new free-to-play destination" for the series.

The in-development game formerly known as Command & Conquer Generals 2 will no longer be a retail product, but will launch next year as the "first of many free offerings" on the new platform, which will grow to encompass "Red Alert, Tiberium, and beyond," EA said in a statement. This doesn't mean Generals 2 is morphing into a browser-based Flash title or anything; the game will still launch as a standalone client powered by the same Frostbite 2 engine used in Battlefield 3. But the move to a free-to-play model does seem to have affected the game's previously planned single-player campaign mode, at least initially.

“At launch, the focus will be on multiplayer as we are currently focused on building a fun, high quality RTS experience that we want to get in your hands as soon as possible," EA VP and General Manager Jon Van Carnegiea told IGN. "From there, we will continuously evaluate additional content based on a variety of player feedback.”

While there are no details about how EA plans to make money off the new model, the company clarified in an FAQ that the game won't be constrained by the gameplay-time-limiting "energy" of many social games: "You will be able to play all day long as much as you want." That's heartening, though we're still a bit worried about the specter of a "pay-to-win" monetization strategy, where players who are able to purchase access to the best units and items have an unfair in-game advantage. That would be a shame for a series that has long prided itself on maintaining the delicate balance between its competing units and factions.

Those who sign up for the upcoming beta test will find out soon enough whether or not Command & Conquer feels the same even when you don't have to pay for it.



Article Link: ars technica

bull****. it may be f2p but its definitely p2w- like anything elsy ea touched. im leaving that franchise for good.