Command & Conquer 3 revealed?

Source: Magazine scans posted at a variety of places, including the 3D Realms forums.

The official story: Neither Electronic Arts nor PC Gamer had responded to requests for comment as of press time.

What we heard: It seems like advance copies of print magazines are preempting game announcements all over the world. Yesterday, it was the British Official Xbox Magazine blowing the lid off F.E.A.R. for the Xbox 360, much to the chagrin of PC gaming purists.

Many of the same people who scoffed when they heard that F.E.A.R. would be ported to consoles got a pleasant surprise today. That's when scans began to circulate of what is almost certainly the cover of next month's PC Gamer magazine.

Like most covers, the one pictured isn't shy about telling onlookers about its contents. In huge letters in the middle, it trumpets "Command & Conquer 3" underneath the words "New race, new story, new war!"

So is the shot actual confirmation of the C&C's existence? Well, if it's a fake, it's a clever fake. The format is exactly the same as that of the magazine's cover style, as can be seen on its Web site. Besides using the same fonts as previous issues, it also has the correct issue number, 149.

While official confirmation still hasn't been received, there was little question that a new Command & Conquer would come along eventually. With real-time strategy games among the best-selling PC games, there was much speculation that Electronic Arts would eventually bring back the storied series. Never mind that EA never met a franchise it didn't like. In 1998, it bought Westwood Studios, which was folded into EALA in 2003, primarily to get hold of the Command & Conquer license.

Today's leak appears to confirm whispers among the development community that the C&C franchise was being resurrected after going on hiatus after September 2003's Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour. Indeed, EA's recent release of Command & Conquer The First Decade, a compilation of 12 C&C games, now appears to be a marketing move to restoke interest in the franchise.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus--expect more at E3...or sooner.