Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun

Did You Know?

• Tiberian Sun was licensed as freeware on February 12, 2010, and released on Steam on March 7, 2024.
• The game's story has been hailed as a metaphor for modern times, focusing on a military–industrial complex preoccupied with terrorism rather than environmental failure.
• GDI relies on heavy strategic attacks with units that can traverse water, while Nod uses unconventional methods including burrowing units.

Plot

Tiberian Sun involves two factions—the Global Defense Initiative and the Brotherhood of Nod—and an alien substance called Tiberium, set after the events of Command & Conquer. Tiberium has caused ecological collapse, human mutations, new alien lifeforms, and ion storms. By the 21st century, GDI researches ways to combat Tiberium's spread from an orbital space station called the Philadelphia, while Nod has splintered after the presumed death of its leader Kane. Both factions develop new technologies including armoured walkers, cyborgs, and advanced infantry. The campaigns begin in 2030 when Kane returns and re-energizes Nod, sparking the Second Tiberium War. GDI's campaign follows a commander who works with mutant allies called The Forgotten to thwart Kane's plans. Nod's campaign follows an officer who escapes execution and reunites Nod to complete Kane's schemes.

Development

Tiberian Sun was announced after the original Command & Conquer, with a trailer on its discs. Electronic Arts acquired Westwood Studios in 1998 and published the game but had no direct part in its development. Development was troubled and delayed multiple times—first to November 1998, then spring 1999, then summer 1999—resulting in omitted engine and gameplay features, some later included in the Firestorm expansion pack, and numerous unfixed bugs. Former Westwood employee Adam Isgreen elaborated in 2007 on planned features: customizable drop-pods for GDI, lighting affecting unit visibility and range at night, target-type selection for the Hunter/Seeker Droid, and balanced terrain differences that were never finalized.

Firestorm

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun – Firestorm is an expansion pack released on March 7, 2000, adding new campaigns set after the GDI campaign, new units, and a third faction for Skirmish and multiplayer. It restored FMV briefings and a linear storyline. The story begins months after the Second Tiberium War: GDI salvages technology from Kane's former Temple in Cairo, including the alien database Tacitus. An ion storm crashes the command ship Kodiak carrying it; General Paul Cortez assumes temporary command and assigns a commander to recover the database.

The core is sent to Dr. Gabriella Boudreau's research team. Meanwhile, Black Hand leader Anton Slavik reactivates the Brotherhood's AI CABAL, which assigns a Nod commander to disrupt GDI settlements and eliminate mutant leader Tratos. Slavik orders CABAL shut down, but the AI turns against Nod. GDI acquires a CABAL core to translate the Tacitus after Tratos's death, but when the missing database segment is connected, CABAL betrays GDI and attacks with cyborgs, forcing Cortez to evacuate Boudreau's team.

Reception

Tiberian Sun was highly anticipated and became the fastest-selling game on the EA games label, selling 1.5 million copies within a month. In Germany, it received a Platinum award from the VUD within eight days and a Double-Platinum award by June 2000, making it the third computer game ever to receive that designation. It sold over 1 million copies by October 12 and 2.4 million before Red Alert 2's release. In the United States, it sold 419,533 copies in 1999 and 283,544 in 2000.

In the United Kingdom, it remained the sixth-best-selling computer game of all time by 2006. PC Gamer readers voted it #29 in their All-Time Top 50 Games Poll in April 2000. GameGenie.com rated it 5/5, calling it enjoyable for a wide audience. Daniel Erickson of Next Generation rated it three stars out of five, stating Westwood had fine-tuned Command & Conquer but not enough for the RTS-crazed public. GameSpot praised the soundtrack as catchy and called it an excellent sequel.