In a move that’s left the gaming and open-source communities buzzing, Electronic Arts (EA) has released the source code for several iconic Command & Conquer (C&C) titles under the GPLv3 license. For FOSS folks who’ve long dreamed of tinkering with legendary real-time strategy (RTS) games, this is a watershed moment. Titles like Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, Renegade, and Generals: Zero Hour are now accessible on GitHub, opening the door to preservation, modding, and potentially bold new projects. Let’s dive into what this means, what’s available, and why it matters.
The Big Drop: What’s in the Repositories?
EA has unleashed a treasure trove of C&C history via GitHub, hosted under the electronicarts organization. Here’s a quick rundown of the key repositories, based on the latest stats as of today:
- CnC_Red_Alert: The 1996 classic that defined RTS for many. Written in C++, it’s racked up 722 stars and 102 forks since the announcement. Think Hell March and Soviet vs. Allies showdowns—now yours to hack on.
- CnC_Tiberian_Dawn: The one that started it all in 1995. Also in C++, with 269 stars and 53 forks, this is the GDI vs. Nod origin story in code form.
- CnC_Renegade: A bold FPS spin-off from 2002, blending C&C’s universe with first-person chaos. It’s sitting at 263 stars and 59 forks—flame tank rushes, anyone?
- CnC_Generals_Zero_Hour: The 2003 expansion that gave us GLA stealth and USA laser tech, with 566 stars and 123 forks. C++ again, and a fan favorite.
- CnC_Remastered_Collection: The beefiest repo at 18.6k stars and 4.8k forks, covering the 2020 remaster of Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn. A modernized take on the classics.
- CnC_Modding_Support: A smaller repo (91 stars, 30 forks) in HLSL, aimed at modders looking to tweak shaders and visuals.
That’s just the headliners—EA’s dropped 52 repositories total, including tools like EACopy (a Robocopy alternative) and experimental projects like gigi (a Python-based rendering framework). The organization boasts 6 contributors so far, with C++ dominating the codebase, alongside sprinklings of Python, Java, and Go. Topics like command-and-conquer, open-source, and real-time-strategy tag the effort, signaling its RTS roots and FOSS appeal.
Why Now? EA’s Surprising Pivot
EA isn’t exactly the poster child for open-source goodwill—many still blame them for Westwood Studios’ demise. So why this? The official line, per EA’s post, is to empower modders, especially those on Steam Workshop tied to the Remastered Collection. But the Hacker News thread (642 points, 154 comments) suggests deeper motives. Some speculate it’s a goodwill gesture to offset years of PR flak; others see it as a sales play, with the full C&C bundle on Steam at $6—a steal that might spike purchases for the still-proprietary assets.
Whatever the reason, it’s a win for preservation. As one commenter noted, “This is very cool. It should be done a lot more often for old games.” The FOSS ethos of keeping software alive and adaptable shines here, especially with games that shaped a generation.
What You Get (and What You Don’t)
The repositories deliver the source code—think C++ files like ANIM.CPP praised for “kinda nice” 90s structure, or infantry.cpp with solid documentation. Devs have even left colorful breadcrumbs: “our RNG is basically shit” in Zero Hour, or “I hate Windows” rants about casting structs. It’s a time capsule of Westwood’s craft, now open for all.
But here’s the catch: no art assets, music, or cutscenes. To run these, you’ll need the original game files—legally, that means owning the titles. EA’s clear: “To use the compiled binaries, you must own the game.” It’s a familiar model—Doom and idTech did it too—separating code (GPLv3) from assets (still EA’s). Some dependencies, like DirectX 5 and obscure libraries (Greenleaf GCL, HMI SOS), are missing too, so compiling might mean writing replacements or stripping out calls. FOSS purists might grumble, but it’s a pragmatic start.
The FOSS Angle: Opportunity Knocks
For the open-source crowd, this is catnip. Imagine porting Red Alert to WebAssembly for browser play, or building a Linux-native Generals with Proton-grade polish. Projects like OpenRA (openra.net)—a from-scratch C&C reimplementation—already thrive with community assets; now, the original code could supercharge such efforts. Modders might resurrect lost gems (where’s Red Alert 2, EA?), while preservationists ensure these classics don’t fade into proprietary oblivion.
Hacker News is hyped: “Whoever pushed for this at EA—my deepest respect,” says one. Another dreams of “a modern update of Generals with 4k rendering, raytracing.” The code’s quality—short methods, decent comments—has folks itching to dig in. And with Steam sales spiking, EA might just prove that open-sourcing old IPs can profit everyone.
What’s Next?
The community’s already buzzing. Will we see a Renegade revival outpacing fan efforts like Renegade-X? Could Tiberian Dawn get a DOS-to-Linux glow-up? EA’s hinted at more to come—maybe Dune 2000 (assets spotted in Red Alert) or even wildcards like SimCity. For now, grab the code, dust off your C++ skills, and join the fray. This is FOSS meets RTS history—let’s build something epic.