Command & Conquer: Renegade

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Command & Conquer: Renegade.

Concept Art#

GDI#

Havoc's original design which was later repurposed for Logan Sheppard.

Havoc#

Various designs for Havoc.

NOD#

Black Hand Soldiers, the Black Hand Rocket Soldier made it to the final game as the Black Hand heavy weapons soldier

Gideon Raveshaw original design which ultimately went to Mendoza

Mendoza's original design which was scrapped and replaced with that of Gideon Raveshaw

Ditto, another version. Note the German-styled thingie I don't know what you call it on the back

Miscellaneous#

Unknown designs.

Renders#

Weapons#

Renders of early weapon models. Some of them like the M16 were cut while others were redesigned.

The Laser Rifle and both earlier designs of the Sniper Rifle appear in some screenshots and trailers.

GDI#

Medium Tank. The final game model lacks the antennas and the railing surrounding the turret

NOD#

Original Cargo Truck model seen in some prerendered cutscenes.

Screenshots#

Screenshots from 2000#

Contrary to popular belief, Havoc was always the game's protagonist despite the misconception that Logan was the hero. The idea that Logan was the protagonist stems mainly from prerelease screenshots and videos depicting Havoc with the same model Logan uses in the final game. The model was actually Havoc's but was later replaced for some reason with a much higher quality model and the old one became Logan's. concept art, texture file names and E3 videos heavily support this. Many of the screenshots from this era seem to be staged and might not be of actual gameplay.

These screenshots show different designs for weapons including a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher, an M16 weapon which cut from the game and an early model of the Automatic Rifle. As well as blockier models of NOD soldiers and Havoc, all of which were updated before the game's release.

The crashed airplane in The Plot Erupts had a usable gun emplacement.

Screenshots from 2001#

These screenshots are from 2001. Havoc's model was updated to what the final game uses and his older model became that of Logan.

One of these screenshots show an Acolyte Mutant in the mission The Plot Erupts, no Mutants appear in this mission in the final game. It's possible the mutant might've been there simply for testing. The same screenshots also shows a vastly different model of the Shotgun with a drum magazine and being more akin to the Grenade Launcher.

Havoc can be seen firing the Shotgun on a NOD technician in the mission Stowaway. Behind the technician are unidentified characters whose models are nowhere to be found in the final game.

The Sniper Rifle overlay, when zoomed in, was originally more elaborate, the final game uses a simpler overlay. The Sniper Rifle model was also changed thrice, from the first version with the orange scope, to another with a singular green optic and to the final game's version.

The GDI Medium Tank had antennas and railings on the turret, these are absent from the final game model.

NOD Soldiers had a blocky, low detailed models which were updated before release. These models however still show up in the final game, in the Multiplayer Character Classes screen and the prerendered cutscenes since these were finalized before the game finished development.

The Laser Chaingun was colored in a gray, metallic finish. It was recolored red in the final game, probably to stand out as NOD weapon.

Unknown#

It's hard to dictate the exact date of these screenshots.

Note the Rocket Launcher model and the Chemical Warrior with the tanks on his back and the original Chemical Sprayer model.

Videos#

Pre-Release Video#

A prerelease video showing a different model for either the GDI Soldiers or GDI Officers, early models for the Sniper Rifle, Laser Rifle and the Pistol, the latter still shows in the final game prerendered cutscenes, a farther FOV in first person, a red armor pickup and a wholly different Hud. The video also shows a first person animation for planting the Ion Cannon beacon, in the final game the weapon simply disappears for the planting duration.

Internal Videos#

Please elaborate.
Having more detail is always a good thing.
Specifically: More detail from the experts, please.

Watch on YouTubeA collection of videos produced for internal usage by EA during the development of both Renegade and Generals, publicly released by EA to mark the game's source code release on February 28th 2025. This page will only cover the Renegade portions.

00:13 - Extended Sizzle Reel - 19th December 2001#

A lengthy trailer showcasing several cutscene segments and in-game sequences. The intro reference to the original game and several of the shots would appear in at least one officially released trailer.

03:43 - "Renegade 2" Tech Demo - Unspecified Date 2002#

Footage from an early version of the planned, but ultimately cancelled sequel to Renegade, which was built directly on the first game's bones. The footage depicts Havoc walking through some detailed (if fullbright) corridors, and traversing a makeshift bridge to witness some smoke-belching factories in a rickety desert base on a slightly rainy day. Presumably, this was intended to demonstrate higher-polygon environments and/or enhanced particle systems.

11:44 - Pre-Production Intro/Concept - 13th March 2000#

A pre-rendered FMV sequence intended to get an idea of what the game was going for, featuring an earlier design of Nick attempting to infiltrate a NOD base, utterly failing at both stealth and his objective, and settling for blowing the place up.

14:42 - Gameplay Demo - 20th June 2001#

Raw gameplay footage of an early version of the game, playing a version of Mission 2: Rescue and Retaliation.

The level name in the savegame is M01_CaptiveAudience, suggesting that the "Scorpion Hunters" tutorial level had yet to be added.
The intro FMV is much simpler, being a direct screenshot comparison of a GDI base in C&C1 and Renegade. This idea was carried over to the final Intro FMV in a more graceful manner.
The HUD is very different, with only the EVA radar carrying over to the final game.
Lots of placeholder voiceover.

25:58 - Pre-Production Sizzle - 11th May 2000#

The same pre-rendered FMV sequence from 13th March, edited into a snappy 30 second trailer.

30:03 - Intro Sequence (Cut) - Unspecified Date 2001#

A pre-rendered FMV cutscene that uses a similar concept (and many directly-recreated scenes) to the Pre-Production video, but using the same in-game-assets artstyle as the final game and with some additional elements like introducing the NOD antagonists. Presumably intended as a James Bond-style cold-open to introduce Havoc and his rivals before the game proper starts.

32:59 - "Commando" Concept - Unspecified Date, Undated#

A pre-rendered proof-of-concept that unexpectedly hews closely to the "Command & Conquer: Commando" prototype found for the PS1 many years ago. Presumably, this was where the seed of a Commando-themed action spin-off was first planted...

Promotional Art#