The Command & Conquer source code is going public

EA has announced that the source code for Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert will be released alongside the Remastered Collection next month. That's in addition to the new map editor included with the remaster, so expect bigger and better Command & Conquer mods in the near future.

"Today we are proud to announce that alongside the launch of the Remastered Collection, Electronic Arts will be releasing the TiberianDawn.dll and RedAlert.dll and their corresponding source code under the GPL version 3.0 license. This is a key moment for Electronic Arts, the C&C community, and the gaming industry, as we believe this will be one of the first major RTS franchises to open source their source code under the GPL," reads the announcement from EA.

With the Command & Conquer source code out in the open, modders will undoubtedly have a field day making dramatic changes to the games' maps, art style, and gameplay. Producer Jim Vessella gave us an example of just one way the DLL files can be used to engineer custom Command & Conquer experiences. Behold up above the Nuke Tank, which is what Remastered devs imagined would happen if Nods came across a Mammoth Tank.

It wasn't all good news, though. Vessella also announced that despite earlier plans, LAN play isn't coming to the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection at launch. Apparently, the pandemic affected development on that feature to the point where it's been delayed to an unspecified date. Though, with social-distancing guidelines still firmly in place, it might be for the better for now anyway.

You can pre-order the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection from Steam ahead of its June 5 release.

Read about how one Command & Conquer voice actor is reprising her role for the remaster 25 years later.