Welcome back, Commander.
LOS ANGELES, CA., April 1, 2010. Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is proud to announce the unprecedented continuation of the popular Command & Conquer series - Command & Conquer 5: Kane's Crossing.
Following the events of C&C4: Tiberium Twilight, many believed that the series was over - there was nowhere else the story could go, all loose ends had been wrapped up. Well, they thought wrong.
C&C5 takes the Tiberium saga along a completely new path. Following the ending of C&C4, Kane awakens to find himself in a strange, new world. The local inhabitants come across the confused Nod leader, and provide him with shelter and a bed for the night. Kane sees the opportunity to rebuild the Brotherhood of Nod with these simple farming folk. And thus your role begins. For the first time in the Command & Conquer series, play as Kane as you learn the ways of the local population - their fishing skills, their farming abilities, their animal taming wonders - while you restore Nod from the ashes.
"We're very excited about this new direction C&C is taking," stated Sam Bass, campaign producer for C&C5.
However, that is not all the game contains. An impressive new multiplayer expanse will enable players to meet each other, compare skills, and engage in cooperative activities with each other such as fishing and cultivating the land.
"Our new multiplayer experience promises to deliver a fresh, new environment for players, whether they are newcomers to the series, or returning C&C fans. Our streamlined interface and control systems will enable players to access their entire crop at the touch of a button. No more will players have to build complicated farming structures to create a well-tuned and robust harvest. Instead, we have one mobile super-farming unit - The Tractor - this unit can sow seeds, plough fields, cultivate the crops, spread both manure and artificial fertiliser. The Tractor accomplishes everything the player could ever need. We are immensely excited about seeing what new strategies and initiatives players come up with using their Tractors in both singleplayer and multiplayer," explained Jim Vessella, producer for C&C5.
To sum up, C&C5 will provide fans, new and old, with the following innovative features:
- Fast, fluid and fun gameplay. Never before could a player of C&C produce a bountiful harvest so quickly; or catch a shoal of fish with such ease.
- Energetic new campaign direction. Play as Kane as you rebuild the Brotherhood of Nod to be the ultimate mass producers in the world.
- Persistent player progression. The greater your harvest, and the greater the fish you catch, the better farming equipment you can unlock. See who can be the first to unlock the ultimate Combine Harvester!
- All-in-one moving base. Control your entire farming regime using The Tractor. Simply relocate The Tractor to a new sector of arable land for a new layer of strategic depth in your farming techniques.
- Class based gameplay. Continuing from the massively popular dynamic established in C&C4, Kane's Crossing will enable you to choose from between five unique classes: Cereals, Fruits, Dairy, Meat and Grasses; adding hundreds of new strategic and agricultural options to match your farming style of choice.
- Online multiplayer. Join your fellow farmers online, and till the soil in the biggest C&C multiplayer to date. Choose your favourite class and take online strategy action to the next level as you meet market deadlines, while developing new crop cycles.
A few minor fans have expressed minor distress at the lack of any mention of the GDI, the Scrin, or the Forgotten in the initial information. Associate Producer Raj Joshi is on hand to fill in the blanks,
"There is no way in hell we'd make a C&C without including the classic pillars of the series - the GDI, the Scrin, the Forgotten. They're all in there. While the game experience revolves around Nod, don't think you'll be left without your favourite three companion sides in there. Retired GDI General Jack Granger (played by Mike Ironside) opens a neighbouring farm on a nearby ranch, and it is the job of you, the player - Kane, to outproduce him in a race to dominate the local market.
The Scrin will obviously be included - swarms of Scrin Locusts will attempt to infest your crops from time to time. This is where The Tractor's special ability - Pesticide Spray - comes into great use. I'll not reveal too much right now, as we're still keeping most of the details behind this under wraps, but a carefully controlled pesticide attack could turn the tide of the crop cycle in a flash.
The Forgotten will also return in a reduced capacity. Periodically, they will attempt to destroy your crops, by burrowing into the fields from underground, leaving horrendous "mutant hills" in your lovely landscape, requiring you replough. Your Tractor will again come with a special purchaseable power to deal with these pests, but we're not revealing the nature of this at this early stage. You'll have to wait till the beta to see."
Advance previews of the game are scheduled to be shown at the annual meetings of the Leipzig Games Convention, E3 and the IUYF.
Command & Conquer 5: Kane's Crossing will have a multiplayer beta in winter 2010, with shipping taking place in early 2011.
The new dawn is coming, Commander. Are you ready?
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About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), based in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading corporate impersonator of the Planet Killer from Star Trek. Founded in 1982, the company eats smaller, more talented companies, obliterating them from the galactic landscape. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS™, EA™, EA SPORTS BIG™ and POGO™. In fiscal 2005, EA posted revenues of $3.1 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
Electronic Arts, EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Animal Crossing (which I have ruthlessly cannibalised here) is something to do with Nintendo, so insert a similar kind of trademark statement here for them.
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NB. If you believed any of this, you're an idiot, and should subsequently go away. Merry April Fools day.