Electronic Arts announces Wing Commander III 30th Anniversary Edition

Electronic Arts producer Jim Vessella has announced the development of ‘Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger – 30th Anniversary Edition’ at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. The project was made possible by the discovery of approximately 600 original source tapes during a digitization effort of the EA video archives.

The remaster aims to restore the game’s iconic full-motion video (FMV) sequences, which originally featured Hollywood actors including Mark Hamill, John Rhys-Davies, and Malcolm McDowell. Unlike previous versions that relied on heavily compressed 240p video, the new edition will utilize the recovered master footage to provide both original and upscaled high-resolution scenes.

Technical improvements for the new edition include gameplay at up to 60 FPS, controller support, and a community enhancement patch. The release is expected to feature ‘Kilrathi Saga Integration,’ potentially including the first two games in the series. The title is planned for distribution on Steam, GOG, and the EA app, though a specific release date and price have not yet been announced.