Developer Slipgate Ironworks knows a lot about the history of Command & Conquer, they have even recreated one of the fake screenshots from Tiberian Sun.
In April 2025, Tempest Rising was finally released, the real-time strategy game that was supposed to end the drought of Command & Conquer fans. Tempest Rising has a lot of C&C in it, and no wonder, because the developers are true connoisseurs of the series. They prove this to you with an homage to a somewhat questionable advertising medium for Tiberian Sun.
Fan discovers eye-catching screenshot
A screenshot of Tempest Rising caught the eye of a Reddit user at the time of release. The motif evoked memories of a 26-year-old image by C&C developer Westwood.
<blockquote class=”reddit-embed-bq” style=”height:316px” data-embed-height=“316”><a href=”https://www.reddit.com/r/TempestRising/comments/1k03nv3/is_it_just_me_or_does_this_tempest_rising/”>Is it just me or does this Tempest Rising screenshot look very similar to the famous C&C:TS screenshot that was a little tuned…</a><br> by<a href=”https://www.reddit.com/user/goliathann/”>u/goliathann</a> in<a href=”https://www.reddit.com/r/TempestRising/”>TempestRising</a></blockquote><script async=”” src=”https://embed.reddit.com/widgets.js” charset=”UTF-8″></script>
The icy river with waterfall, the bridge and the placed units as well as the big explosion in the middle of the picture are also very similar to both pictures.
However in the comments there is even confirmation from Slipgate CEO Frederik Schreiber: The image is a homage to the screenshot from Tiberian Sun. But there is an even bigger story behind it.
Not just any screenshot
The image chosen is one of the fake screenshots published by Westwood and publisher EA in 1999 for advertising purposes. Why fake?
Well, the images were a little too glossed over afterwards and didn’t really show what the game looked like in the end. The smoke and lighting effects didn’t look as opulent in the finished game as they did in the picture.
The muzzle flash of the tanks and the big explosion were also far less impressive on the PC at home. As it was a completely 2D game, it was easy to add details and effects to the screenshots afterwards using an image editing program.
The graphic designers at Westwood really let off steam with the promo images for Tiberian Sun. That’s why the screenshots also made it into the video above with the 10 biggest marketing lies.
The image from Tiberian Sun that you see here was even printed almost identically on the packaging and sold in this way. The reflection of the explosion in the water is particularly beautiful, a detail that the C&C engine of the time could not even display. The fact that the developers of Tempest Rising chose this particular screenshot shows what big fans they are of the original.
