Electronic Arts announced the return of one of the most famous franchises in the gaming world: Red Alert. Created by Westwood Studios, the first game from Red Alert series was released in 1996 as a prequel to the Command & Conquer and the story of the game was centered around the question “What would happen if World War II hadn't happened?" The game was followed by several expansion packs and by Red Alert 2, released in 2000, after Electronic Arts acquired Westwood Studios.

Some rumors about a new game, Red Alert 3, have emerged in 2004 but Electronic Arts refused to detail its plans about the future of the franchise.

Anyway, after seven years, Electronic Arts confirmed today Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for all the major gaming platforms: PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The development of the game was assigned to EA Los Angeles and according to EA’s press release, the story of Red Alert 3 will be centered on the same conflict between the Soviets, the Allies, and the Empire of the Rising Sun.

EA promises for Red Alert 3 wonderful weapons and technologies such as Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks. However, as a surprise, it seems like the new game will feature a new faction.

“The team is staying true to the series’ roots while adding new elements like a co-operatively played story-driven campaign, an astounding new faction that will shake-up the Red Alert universe as we know it, and units that will help make Red Alert 3 everything our fans have been waiting for. And by bringing naval combat into the heart of the game design, we’re transporting that fast, fun and fluid C&C gameplay to the high-seas in ways that you’ve never seen before,” said Chris Corry, Executive Producer at EALA.

As you can imagine, the game will have a strong multiplayer component. “With Red Alert 3, our team is continuing that proud tradition by introducing genre-first features like co-operative campaign play, which rewards veterans and casual players alike. In Red Alert 3, friends and family can always have your back!” said Mike Verdu, General Manager of EALA.

The gamers who are eager to catch a glimpse of the new game, Electronic Arts said that a beta demo of Red Alert 3 will be included as a bonus in the Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath package or in the Command & Conquer 3 Limited Collection later this year.