C&C 4 requires constant internet connection

Electronic Arts has revealed that the recently announced Command and Conquer 4 will require a constant internet connection to play, though perhaps not for the reasons you might expect.

Rather than being an anti-piracy device, EA Community Manager Aasron Kaufman claimed that the game has certain features in common with an MMO game and will use that always-on 'net connection to track player progress through the game.

"As of right now, you need to be online all the time to play C&C 4," Kaufman posted on a fan forum (via Voodoo Extreme).

"This is primarily due to our 'player progression' feature so everything can be tracked. C&C 4 is not an MMO in the sense of World of Warcraft, but conceptually it has similar principles for being online all the time. While some may be taken aback by this, we've been testing this feature internally with all of our worldwide markets."

This also re-affirms the fact that Electronic Arts is making Command and Conquer 4 a PC exclusive title, with no console spin-offs planned for this particular instalment.

Command and Conquer 4 is due out next year some time, though we're not sure yet if it'll get a retail release too or be a purely digital title, like the C&C Red Alert 3: Uprising expansion. Let us know your thoughts on the game in the forums.