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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteReal-time strategy is not dead, according to legendary composer Frank Klepacki. In an interview published by PC Gamer on October 14, 2026, after a discussion in the latest issue of Edge, Klepacki argued that ongoing releases prove the genre is still alive. His bigger concern is that publishers are no longer giving unusual RTS concepts the large budgets they need to reach a broad audience.
What Frank Klepacki thinks about the future of RTS
Klepacki rejected the familiar claim that real-time strategy has disappeared. He recalled hearing “doom-and-gloom talk” a decade ago questioning why developers still worked in a supposedly dying genre. His response is straightforward: “Obviously, if there are games coming out, [the genre is] not going away.”
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That does not mean RTS is as dominant as it was during its 1990s peak. Klepacki’s point is that visibility and existence are different things. Other genres have taken the foreground of public attention, but strategy games continue to be made, played and revisited.
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He also described game popularity as cyclical: “Everything runs in cycles, you know? That’s how it always is.” In this view, RTS is in a quieter phase rather than a terminal decline.
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Why the 1990s comparison can be misleading
The 1990s created an unusually visible RTS mainstream, with series such as Command & Conquer, Warcraft and Dune 2 helping define the format for a mass PC audience. A smaller current release ecosystem can therefore feel like a collapse when measured against that exceptional period.
| Era | What defined it | What the comparison misses |
|---|---|---|
| 1990s RTS boom | Major series occupied a prominent place in PC gaming culture. | That level of attention was a high point, not a permanent baseline. |
| Current RTS landscape | Fewer games dominate the conversation, but established series and new projects continue to appear. | Lower visibility does not establish that the genre has ended. |
No sales, player-count or market-share figure in the report quantifies a revival. The evidence supports a more limited conclusion: RTS remains an active form, even if it no longer commands the same mainstream spotlight.
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The missing “middle ground” in RTS development
Klepacki’s most pointed criticism concerns risk and budgets. He said he would like to see “more unique ideas that are allowed to be triple-A titles.” In his view, indie developers are often willing to experiment, while blockbuster publishers tend to favor safer concepts. Between those two ends, he believes “a lot of the middle ground has gone.”
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What that means for players
- Indie RTS projects can test unconventional mechanics or settings but may lack the production resources of a major release.
- Large publishers can provide extensive art, technology, marketing and support, yet may avoid ideas that are difficult to explain or forecast financially.
- The result is a gap between experimental prototypes and highly polished, familiar blockbuster formulas.
Klepacki is not asking developers to abandon proven systems. He is arguing that more ambitious funding should reach projects that depart from the standard template.
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Which RTS games show the genre is still active?
The report points to a broad mix of established, returning and forthcoming projects. It cites Age of Empires, Age of Mythology, Company of Heroes, Ruse, Tempest Rising and a Game of Thrones RTS project. These examples represent continuity rather than proof of a statistically measured comeback.
For players who want to revisit the lineage that shaped Klepacki’s career, Command & Conquer Remastered Collection offers a current way to play a classic branch of the genre. Its existence is best understood as access to an influential historical work, not evidence that the entire market has returned to 1990s scale.
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RTS design did not vanish when traditional RTS lost attention
Some of the genre’s design ideas migrated into other formats. The report notes that real-time strategy DNA persists in multiplayer online battle arenas, or MOBAs. Those games retain elements such as real-time decision-making, map control, unit abilities and competing objectives, even though they usually narrow the player’s role compared with a traditional RTS.
This helps explain why RTS influence can remain visible while conventional base-building and army-management games occupy less of the mainstream conversation. A genre can lose its central commercial position while its mechanics continue to shape newer categories.
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Is RTS making a comeback?
“Comeback” is too strong if it implies a return to the 1990s’ cultural dominance. Klepacki’s argument is more measured: attention shifts in cycles, and a genre with continuing releases has not gone away. The current evidence supports cautious optimism, not a claim of explosive growth.
A genuine resurgence would require more than a handful of recognizable names. It would mean sustained releases, meaningful experimentation and enough publisher confidence to fund ideas outside the safest formulas. Klepacki’s comments identify that creative and financial challenge without pretending it has already been solved.
What would a more creative RTS look like?
Klepacki does not prescribe a specific setting, mechanic or business model. His request is for publishers to allow distinctive concepts to receive triple-A treatment. That could include unusual campaign structures, unfamiliar historical or fictional settings, different approaches to economy and logistics, or hybrid systems that do not fit neatly into established subgenres.
The important distinction is between novelty for its own sake and meaningful design ambition. A creative RTS would use its larger budget to make a genuinely different idea understandable, deep and reliable—not simply to add spectacle to a familiar formula.
Quick Recap
The practical answer for RTS fans
- Do not treat reduced visibility as extinction. Ongoing and announced projects show that development continues.
- Look beyond the biggest releases. Independent experiments may be where the boldest design ideas appear.
- Keep expectations precise. A cyclical return of attention is not the same as a proven market-wide revival.
- Support variety when it appears. If publishers see demand for unusual strategy concepts, the missing middle tier becomes easier to justify.
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