Gamescom 2012: Command & Conquer Generals 2 is Free to Play

Yesterday, Electronic Arts announced that their latest installment in the Command & Conquer franchise, the BioWare-developed Command & Conquer Generals 2, is going the free-to-play route. This game will join the free-to-play ranks of Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliences, which was announced back in March as a browser-based strategy game.

This game, however, will up the ante as a “client-based” game, which I assume means that it’ll run in through their Origin game client (as opposed to straight-up in your web browser…someone check my logic on that and make sure I’ve got it right).

Here’s what EA’s Jon Van Caneghem had to say about the game, which is set to be released in February for PC:

“We are thrilled about this opportunity to transform Command & Conquer into a premier online experience. For nearly two decades, this franchise has existed as something you buy; now we are creating a destination where our fans will be able to access the entire Command & Conquer universe, starting with Generals and continuing with Red Alert, Tiberium and beyond. With Frostbite 2, we are able to keep an emphasis on the AAA quality our consumers expect while staying true to the RTS gameplay they know and love—all available online for free.”

If you want to sign up for the closed beta, click your way over to the game’s official website. What do you think? Is going free-to-play the right move? Everything else is free-to-play now…why not C&C, right?