StarCitizen:Wing Commander (series)

File:Wing Commander ! logo.png

Wing Commander I logo

Wing Commander is a franchise consisting of space combat simulation video games from StarCitizen:Origin Systems, an animated television series, a Wing Commander movie, a collectible card game, a series of novels, and action figures.

In 1987, StarCitizen:Chris Roberts joined StarCitizen:Origin Systems. With no Star Wars games on computer at the time. Chris Roberts wanted to create a game which would put him in a universe the same way as when he had seen Star Wars. Joe Haldeman book The Forever War was one of the inspirations for the idea of Wing Commander, a big ongoing war that never seems to end.<ref name=":0">Around the Verse: Episode 1.62 (2015.09.24), YouTube</ref> WW2 was also an inspiration with the Kilrati as the Imperial Japanese Navy and the Confederation as the US.<ref name=":1">The forgotten interview with Chris Roberts by Paul Dean, March 11, 2016</ref><ref name=":0" /> Another big influence was Traveller which was a pen and paper sci-fi game.<ref name=":1" />

In 1990, Roberts developed Wing Commander, which set a new standard in PC games and evolved into a franchise series of game titles, all developed and produced by Chris Roberts.

With its cinematic quality, clearly developed story lines and well-known actors, the Wing Commander series created a whole new genre within the gaming industry known as the "interactive movie."

In the early-'90s, game designers began to scale back the text and convey more through technology. The industry was both imitating and innovating during this period--taking sensibilities from the film world and riffing their own creations for what works well in interactive properties.<ref>AGDC 2008: Telling tales with BioWare, Gamespot, September 16, 2008</ref>

While Wing Commander II wasn't the first game to have full speech have and StarCitizen:Wing Commander I wasn't the first game to have VGA graphics or bitmapped enemy ships, the games were putting it all together and doing it best, as an amazing production were everything was coming together well.

By 1995, the Wing Commander series had generated well over $110 million in revenues, and from 1990 to 1995, it accounted for more than 60% of Origin Systems revenue. In addition to selling more than 3 million units worldwide by 1995, it won a record setting number of gaming awards. To date, the series has generated over $400 million in global retail revenue.

Influence

The modern way to make video games like Hollywood movies instead of being made by a couple of people in a garage can be traced back to Wing Commander.<ref>Space Madness! The Resurgence of Space & Sci Fi Games, Trelane, YouTube, 27 oct. 2017</ref>

The Wing Commander games went on to become an influence in games such as Starcraft II.<ref>First Details on StarCraft 2's Mercenaries, and How Wing Commander Influenced Blizzard, Shacknews, June 29, 2009</ref>

Wing Commander games by Chris Roberts

• StarCitizen:Wing Commander I
• StarCitizen:Wing Commander II
• StarCitizen:Wing Commander III
• StarCitizen:Wing Commander IV
• StarCitizen:Wing Commander: Privateer

Quotes

• "Squadron 42 [...] is like the ultimate version of how i would do Wing Commander." -Chris Roberts<ref>The State of Star Citizen with Chris Roberts, Back Pocket, Youtube, Feb 27, 2026</ref>

External Links

• The Wing Commander Combat Information Center Star Citizen org.<ref>The Star Citizen Organization WCCIC, wcnews.com, May 15, 2014</ref>

Trivia

• Aaron Allston who worked on the Wing Commander printed booklet Claw Marks later became famous for his Star Wars X-Wing novels.<ref>Happy Hour Museum: Wing Commander Privateer, Star Citizen, YouTube, 31 march 2017</ref>
• Star Citizen Comm-links are a reference to the Wing Commander Claw Marks' Comm Relay.<ref>"Claw Marks' Comm Relay is also what we were referencing with Star Citizen's now ubiquitous Comm Links!", @banditloaf, Twitter, September 25 2023</ref>
• Fans often ask for the series to be continued, however while Chris Roberts retains the TV and movie rights, all other rights including for the video games are owned by EA.<ref>EA Press Release - Nov 10, 1997 - WC Optioned For Film, archived at wcnews.com</ref> Chris Roberts and EA did not reach an agreement to continue the serie, hence Star Citizen and Squadron 42.
• The name of the Squadron 42 game is a nod to the "Squadron" working title for Wing Commander.<ref>SGJ Podcast #04: Chris. Freaking. Roberts. Space Game Junkie, 03/12/2013</ref><ref>"Origin's second MS-DOS title to be shown at CES is Chris Roberts Squadron (tentative title), a space combat simulation", Computer Entertainer, Volume 9, Number 2, May 1990</ref><ref>Seven-page draft proposal for a game called Squadron, scanned by Joe Garrity of the Origin Museum, wcnews.com</ref>

References

<references /> StarCitizen:category:Video games