[Breda, The Netherlands – July 14, 2025] — Tense Games has revealed that soft implementation of the third playable faction in Fractured Alliance, known as The Collective, has officially begun. Following the fully playable United Federation and Eastern Alliance, this new faction is specifically designed to welcome players new to the RTS genre, while still offering depth and strategic options for more experienced fans.
Tense Games owner Thomas van den Essenburg announced the milestone today, stating: “The Collective is our answer to the paradox of making an RTS that's fun for nostalgic Command & Conquer fans, but also accessible for new players. It’s an ambitious design, and development is progressing well.”
Autonomous drone warfare!
Unlike traditional RTS factions that require micro-management of units and economy, The Collective leverages autonomous drone warfare to simplify gameplay without sacrificing intensity. This lets new players compete on a more even battlefield, even when facing off against veterans of classic RTS titles like Tiberian Dawn or Red Alert.
Here’s how The Collective plays:
- Automation-First Gameplay: Players build subterranean pods—Rifle Drone Pods, Missile Drone Pods, and AA Drone Pods—that produce AI-controlled drones. These drones automatically group and strike when they sense opportunity.
- Economic Streamlining: Automated Harvesters collect from resource fields and instantly add credits, removing the need to return to base.
- Stance Control: Players can let drones operate on their own or override them with commands like Defend, Stockpile, Force Attack, or Automated.
- Beginner-Friendly, Veteran-Ready: With base building, turret placement, and superweapons, newcomers get to experience the thrill of real-time strategy while learning the ropes.
- Late-Game Depth: For players seeking more direct control, Gundam-style mech suits can be produced and controlled like traditional RTS units—bridging the gap between simplicity and classic gameplay.
Balancing Innovation with Strategy
Balancing a faction like The Collective—so distinct from the high-tech United Federation and the explosive, aggressive Eastern Alliance—presents challenges, but Tense Games is confident in their roadmap. According to van den Essenburg, internal playtests are showing "promising results," and feedback from RTS veterans has already shaped several improvements.
About Fractured Alliance
Fractured Alliance is a modern spin on classic RTS gameplay, offering a story-driven campaign, competitive multiplayer, co-op multiplayer, and terrain-based strategy in a war-torn world divided among three unique factions. Developed by indie studio Tense Games, the title draws inspiration from Command & Conquer, Red Alert, and other beloved real-time strategy titles, while introducing new ideas like automated warfare and asymmetric faction design.
The game is currently in development and slated for 2026. Players can wishlist the game now on Steam to stay updated. Tense Games is currently exploring Publisher options as well.