Determined to expand the Command & Conquer franchise as far as possible, Electronic Arts has today announced that a new Red Alert iteration is being worked on by the guys at EA Los Angeles, who are also cooking up Tiberium. Accompanying the announcement are the first screenshots and a trailer.

Besides bringing back the series’ “light-hearted style and classic, action-oriented gameplay”, Red Alert 3 will be the first real-time strategy title to feature a fully co-operative campaign. Like the previous Red Alert installments, the game will put a unique spin on how things happened in the past. For example, the Soviet Union doesn’t go the way of dodo and World War III erupts between the Soviets, Allies, and a brand new faction called the Empire of the Rising Sun.

Chris Corry, executive producer at EALA, excitingly commented:

It’s been too long. Fans have been waiting for a new Red Alert game for seven years, and we’re working hard to ensure its well worth the wait. 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.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is set for a TBA release on the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.