Electronic Arts is out one massive science fiction trump card. With the recent loss of Star Wars exclusivity, the company will likely have to rely on its existing sci-fi properties more than in recent times. It's already planning on the release of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, and there will likely be more from the series in the future if the remaster can revert the effects of Mass Effect: Andromeda. Still, EA has more than just its future Star Wars and Mass Effect titles to rely on. If the publisher wants to continue exploiting its past successes with remasters, there's one sci-fi franchise that carries over a vital part of Star Wars while remaining wholly-owned by EA.
The landscape of sci-fi in 1990 was far different than it is thirty years later. George Lucas' space epic had a definitive end, fading into the background for just enough time to spur on other visions of man reaching the stars. One of those was Wing Commander, a space simulation series that released mostly on the PC throughout the '90s. Early games in the franchise were known for bringing Star Wars-esque space combat to the personal computer, as well as bringing the first examples of voice acting to gaming in general.
This innovation in presentation would expand out to full-motion video cutscenes in 1994's Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger. The game's cast includes Tom Wilson (Biff from Back to the Future), John Rhys-Davies, and Mark Hamil as protagonist Col. Christopher "Maverick" Blair. Two more games in the franchise would release with this cast, with series creator Chris Roberts leaving developer Origin Systems before the release of the fifth game. Despite the series inspiring a Hollywood film and an animated series at the heights of its fame, the Wing Commander name has mostly faded into obscurity in recent times.
Why Electronic Arts Needs To Remaster Wing Commander
There are several factors that contribute to the feeling that the time is right for a rerelease of the Wing Commander games. Not only is 90s nostalgia a continually-growing factor in modern pop culture, but FMV has evolved beyond its joke status. More and more developers are utilizing the technology for its original purpose, creating interactive movies with a different kind of HD visual quality. The FMV scenes in Wing Commander are already impressive from a production standpoint, and if it were possible to upscale them in the same manner as the recent Command & Conquer remaster, it would breathe new life into a historically significant part of EA's past.
In addition, the gameplay side of Wing Commander could use a modern refresh simply due to its year of release. Space sims have come a long way from the time of requiring joystick setups and mapping out keyboard controls. A version of the game workable on a gamepad could mean the game releasing on a wide range of platforms and reaching more players than it ever could have in its original launch period.
EA has a host of franchises in its vault that could use a remaster, but not many feel more appropriate for the current moment than Wing Commander. A whole new generation of moviegoers just saw their own Star Wars saga come to a close, and those looking for something other than nostalgia could fall right into the authentically-retro space adventure of Wing Commander - something which might even give Electronic Arts another tool in its sci-fi arsenal besides repeating the tale of the Shepard.