Synonymous with the RTS genre, Command & Conquer is a franchise that has taken its time out of the limelight, but now wants to make a comeback in a big way.

Contrary to the news that the C&C development duties were being handled by Visceral Games, the new title is actually in development at Victory Games, a new company formed by Electronic Arts. Gamers might be wary of a new company taking the reins to a once popular franchise, but Victory Games promises to deliver all that was great and keep out all that was bad.

While bringing the RTS experience to the consoles in the past seemed like the most logical step, it might not have quite worked out as planned. Victory’s head honcho Jon Van Caneghem has said that not only will this version of Command & Conquer be a PC experience first and foremost, but that it will hopefully reinvigorate a franchise that hasn’t seen a AAA title in some time.

“I can tell you it’s a Command & Conquer game for the PC, but we’re not yet at a stage where I can go into any details– we’ll be prepared to make a more formal announcement later in the year. We’re not just working on a game, though. Our general focus is on the future of Command & Conquer. That means updating a lot of the core technology to create a stable base for future development, and leveraging that work on this first game.”

Unfortunately, beyond this brief statement from Caneghem and an official site that has since been taken down (early reveal?), gamers will have to wait until EA and Victory want to officially let the cat out of the bag. Still, just teasing gamers with the idea of a new and improved version of Command and Conquer is enough to generate some substantial excitement.

With the success of StarCraft 2 in both the online and single player realms and the Civilization franchise gaining more and more mainstream appeal, perhaps EA felt that the genre that has been taking a backseat to RPGs and first person shooters is ready to make a return.  As one of the more recognizable RTS franchises it makes sense that if StarCraft can revitalize the genre, a new Command and Conquer can prove its vitality.

Stay tuned into Game Rant for more news on this Command and Conquer “reboot” as it develops.

Are you looking forward to a new Command and Conquer experience from a new developer? Do you think that the Command and Conquer franchise will be able to find an audience after being out of the spotlight for so long?

Source: CNC Stage (via Voodoo Extreme)