Command & Conquer: Remastered will feature upscaled versions of the FMV cutscenes from the original game, thanks to some devoted detective work by lead producer Jim Vessella. The upcoming Command & Conquer: Remastered, a recreation of the first game in the iconic strategy series, has been in development since 2018.
The Command & Conquer remaster is being developed by Petroglyph Games in partnership with EA. Petroglyph is made up of some of the former developers from Westwood Studios, which created the original Command & Conquer. The game will be followed by a remaster of Command & Conquer: Red Alert, perhaps the most beloved game in the classic series.
One of the most memorable parts of the Command & Conquer games is their gloriously cheesy FMV cutscenes. Since the remaster was announced, fans have been asking whether the original cutscenes would be incorporated or re-recorded, and neither EA nor Petroglyph have had a solid answer until now. Cutscenes can be a hot button issue in remasters, like in the recent Warcraft 3 Reforged controversy, as fans are often divided over whether they should be included in their original form or completely redone. In a recent video, EA’s Jim Vessella announced that the original FMV cutscenes from Command & Conquer will be upscaled to appear in the remaster without having to be re-recorded.
In the video, Vessella walks through the incredible process of tracking down stacks of old video tapes that some people thought had been destroyed, then finding a way to digitize footage from obsolete formats so they could be included in the game. The whole video is worth a watch, but the short version is that after a lot of legwork, all the original videos from the console and PC versions of Command & Conquer were recovered, plus lots of behind-the-scenes video and alternate takes that will be included in the game in a bonus gallery. In the end, EA even reached out to Command & Conquer’s dedicated community for help developing the algorithm that’s being used to upscale the video.
Remasters and reimaginings of old games can sometimes get a bad rap, but they can also be exciting for long-time fans. In many cases, computer and console technology advances so fast that games from a couple of decades ago can’t be played at all, or at least in any way that’s appealing to modern players. Vessella’s recent video should reassure fans that the teams at EA and Petroglyph are willing to go the distance to make sure that Command & Conquer: Remastered lives up to their expectations.
Next: 15 Video Game Remasters That Are Actually Happening (And 10 That We Wish Were Coming)
Source: EA
