How a lost video game archive sparked a community-driven remaster
In short: When developers tried to upgrade Command & Conquer, they discovered the original high-resolution master tapes were missing. Instead of giving up, they turned to the gaming community and AI upscaling to save the cinematic history of a real-time strategy legend.
The development of the Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection was a collaborative effort between Petroglyph Games—founded by former Westwood Studios programmers—and the franchise's dedicated fanbase. While the team initially debated between a remake and a remaster, the success of titles like Age of Empires: Definitive Edition steered them toward a remaster. To maintain familiarity, Petroglyph chose to utilize the original 1995 game engine, implementing only minor tweaks and bugfixes.
A significant hurdle arose when the team realized the high-definition master videotapes for the full motion video cutscenes were lost. After searching for backups, they only found B-roll and low-resolution copies from the original CD-ROMs. To resolve this, the developers decided to remaster the cutscenes using PlayStation video files, leveraging community expertise in AI upscaling techniques to achieve the desired quality.
The project's scope extended beyond visuals. The soundtrack, featuring work by Frank Klepacki, included both remastered original tracks and new performances. Klepacki and the band The Tiberian Sons remixed 22 additional tracks based on a 2019 MAGFest performance, drawing from the first two games and several sequels. The final collection, released on June 5, 2020, for Steam and Origin, includes approximately 100 campaign missions and features 4K graphics and rebuilt multiplayer components.
The release was met with high critical acclaim. OpenCritic reported a 92% recommendation rate, while Metacritic noted generally favorable reviews. Critics from outlets like Polygon and Destructoid praised the collection as a respectful, full-featured, and masterful way to re-energize a classic title.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Command & Conquer Remastered Collection
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