A collection of 25 classic games from the 1990s has received light remasters and updates before launching on digital storefronts Steam and GOG. The new releases include multiple entries in the Wing Commander franchise and nearly the complete Ultima series.
The Complete List of Re-released Titles
The lineup features anniversary editions and classic PC games from Electronic Arts’ archives. The full list includes Road Rash: 30th Anniversary Edition; Wing Commander: 35th Anniversary Edition; Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi: 35th Anniversary Edition; Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger: 30th Anniversary Edition; Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom: 30th Anniversary Edition; and Wing Commander Prophecy: 30th Anniversary Edition.
Additional titles in the release are Privateer 2: The Darkening: 30th Anniversary Edition, Wing Commander: Privateer, Wing Commander: Academy, Wing Commander: Armada, Strike Commander, Theme Hospital, Crusader: No Remorse, and Crusader: No Regret.
The Ultima series additions comprise Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness, Ultima II: The Revenge of the Enchantress, Ultima III: Exodus, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar, Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny, Ultima VI: The False Prophet, Ultima VII: The Complete Edition, Ultima VIII: Gold Edition, Ultima IX: Ascension, Ultima Underworld I, and Ultima Underworld II.
Unearthing Lost Archives at EA
EA senior producer Jim Vessella detailed the development process behind seven of the remasters in a blog post. Following his work on the Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection in 2019, Vessella explored an archive room at EA’s Redwood Shores campus filled with poorly labeled physical media.
During his free time, Vessella cataloged the archive with assistance from colleagues and discovered original master recordings containing nearly all the full-motion-video cutscenes for Wing Commander III and Wing Commander IV.
The discovery led to the formation of a small contractor team that spent 17 hours a day across swing shifts reviewing, labeling, and digitizing the footage. The team then collaborated with prominent community members, including community enhancement patch creator Matt Wells, to assemble the final remastered versions of the games.
