EA is releasing the source code for the first two Command & Conquer games

In brief: This means that the Remastered Collection will have full mod support. Along with a map editor, the open-source DLLs will allow players to design maps, create custom units, swap out artwork, modify gameplay logic and edit game data.

EA in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Command & Conquer series announced back in 2018 that it was remastering the first two games in the franchise as well as a handful of expansion packs. In March of this year, we got a firm launch date but EA wasn’t finished surprising fans.

On Thursday, the video game company announced that it would be releasing the TiberianDawn.dll and RedAlert.dll as well as the games’ corresponding source code under a GPL version 3.0 license. Also called a copyleft, this type of license allows software or artistic works to be used, modified and distributed freely under the condition that anything created with it is also bound by the same conditions.

EA said community council members have already been playing with the source code and are posting some fun experiments on their Discord channel.

It wasn’t all great news, however, as EA additionally revealed that another feature fans have been passionate about – LAN play – wouldn’t be ready at launch. The company said it was simply too challenging to develop and test a local area network feature while adhering to Covid-19 social distancing suggestions.

“We’re bummed this one got away and will continue to keep this on our priority list going forward,” EA added.

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection launches on June 5. Expect to pay $19.99 for the opportunity.