EA Makes Command & Conquer Source Code Public

EA has released the source code for four legacy Command & Conquer titles under the GPL license, making them freely available to the public on Github. This includes the original source code for Command & Conquer and Red Alert, as well as the SAGE-powered Command & Conquer: Renegade and Command & Conquer: Generals. While fan projects such as OpenRA and OpenSAGE have developed their own versions of these games’ code, access to the original source code is a big plus for video game preservation and future development.

The restoration and release of the source code were made possible through the efforts of EA technical director Brian Barnes, Respawn producer Jim Vessella, and Luke Feenan, a long-time member of the Command & Conquer community. To accompany this announcement, EA has also released a 35-minute video featuring alpha gameplay and previously unseen archival footage from Command & Conquer: Generals and Renegade.

In addition to making the source code available, EA is introducing Steam Workshop support for its more recent Command & Conquer titles, accompanied by a modding support pack. This pack includes the source XML, Schema, Script, Shader, and map files for all SAGE-engine titles, including Renegade, Generals & Zero Hour, Tiberium Wars & Kane’s Wrath, Red Alert 3 & Uprising, and Tiberian Twilight. These tools will enable users to create new maps and assets and implement deeper modifications, such as support for higher refresh rates and ultrawide resolutions, which previously required third-party tools.