News Collection: On This Day in WC News

2024.092 (April 1, 2024)

Last Few Days for GOG Spring Sale

It's April 1! Since before we even opened at wcnews.com more than 25 years ago, the CIC Staff has had some strict rules about April Fool's Day: Never announce a new Wing Commander game. Don't do anything that would get people excited just to let them down.

2023.091 (April 1, 2023)

Try the CIC's AI Art Generator!

AI chatbots, AI generated art and AI everything else are super hot this year, and the CIC is always working hard to keep up with the latest trends. So we've put our best engineers and computer scientists (Kris) on developing our own Wing Commander generative art engine (beta). Type a Wing Commander topic in the box, hit the button, and see what you get! Keep in mind, there may be a few quirks...

2022.091 (April 1, 2022)

INTER-SECTOR DAILY NEWS: Wasps Lose Their Stinger

Due to rising fuel costs, the Confederation Space Force has determined that the F-110 Wasp interceptor will now be launched into combat without booster rockets. This is after analysis has determined that 1400 kps is sufficient for most engagements. Studies are under way to determine if the craft's afterburners can be electrically powered going forward. After the drivetrain retrofits are complete, pilots will be responsible for plugging their craft into charging stations on the flight deck after each mission.

INTER-SECTOR DAILY NEWS: CDC Advisory on Handling Nephilim Artifacts

In light of the disturbing Epsilon Sector reports concerning the loss of the passenger liner Blue Horizon, ISDN conducted a Q&A session with a spokesperson from the Confederation Department of Contagions (CDC). ISDN: Transcripts recorded on the TCS Belliard describe people who came in contact with Nephilim hardware and then contracted an itchy rash. The ship's chief medical officer noted, "Subject(s) died as a result of extreme complications caused by an unknown viral agent 14 hours after pick-up." What should people do if they touch Nephilim hardware?

2021.091 (April 1, 2021)

Trailer Drops for WC4 Video Enhancement Pack 6.0: Cinematic Edition

ODVS is always on the forefront of video editing technology, and his latest explorations have enabled a new level of visual fidelity here. Except this time, he's given version 6.0 a more modern cinematic flair...I'm very excited to reveal this sneak preview of the upcoming Wing Commander IV HD Pack V6.

No Clowning Around Here

2020.092 (April 1, 2020)

Is April Fools Canceled?

Here at the CIC we're all about spreading the latest Wing Commander news and archiving all WC knowledge, but telling in-jokes is a very close second calling. As such, in light of the current pandemic, the CIC has announced the following measures:All CIC Complete content will be made available for free so that you can have full unblocked access to sections like the Ships Database, Fan Directory and Listicals in this time of need.All outstanding payments due to CIC Finance are suspended for 60 days. This way you can keep plenty of liquid KilrathiKoin handy.

2019.091 (April 1, 2019)

Happy Birthday Memes!

No, this isn't a listing of memes related to birthdays, today marks one year since we kicked off our frivolous diversion: Wing Commander Meme of the Day. To celebrate, here's a rundown of our top nine favorite memes.Most Interesting Man in the WorldWingfinityEvil KermitThird World Skeptical KidThat's a Paddlin'Nerves of PeeleOne Does Not SimplyYo Dawg Heard YouBad Pun DogThink About ItToo Damn HighExcaliburz Wit AttitudesThe One About Akkbar, of course...

2018.091 (April 1, 2018)

CIC Right Sizes For Aging Population

This year marks twenty years of operation for the CIC at wcnews.com, and with that glorious history comes some subtle changes. There was a time when older Origin fans over age thirty could join the 'gray ghosts' club, but now it's probably fair to say the majority of our visitors are now eligible. To make sure everything is large enough to still be legible for all those mature eyeballs, we've slightly scaled up our text and graphics.

CIC Finance: Announcing KilrathiKoin

CryptoCurrencies are all the rage, and everyone who's anyone has leveraged their own blockchain to cash in. This year we're taking CIC Finance to the next level with our own Bitcoin spinoff, KilrathiKoin. Guaranteed and insured by Akkbar so you know it’s legit. Get started here and you'll be well on your way to long-term financial stability!

Wing Commander Meme of the Day: Too Damn High

Welcome to the start of something special! Come back every day for the dankest memes that are totally on fleek.You know it!

2017.091 (April 1, 2017)

A Modest Proposal: Saving Mr. LaFong

“We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be." - Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night“Bonjour, Lieutenant. You are called PRANKSTER, non? I am called Angel.

2016.092 (April 1, 2016)

Continue To Make Wing Commander Great

The CIC loves cool Wing Commander-themed gear, but we haven't been able to design anything in a long time. Our last batch of hats was really popular, so we've come up with this new concept. What do you think?

Email Scandal Strikes Wing Commander

New documents have potentially uncovered the startling reason that Hobbes was able to so easily download and transmit top secret Behemoth documents in Wing Commander 3. Draft notes reveal a deleted passage from Bill Forstchen's WC3 novelization that flashes back to the events of 2668. Apparently President Harold Rodham maintained a private infoburst server that he accessed via an unsecured Quine 3000. The classified blueprints were transmitted unencrypted to and from his electronic TCN address, which was easily intercepted and relayed by Ralgha nar Hhallas.

Build Up That Wall

It's been nearly 20 years since Akkbar departed for the Border Worlds, but the threat remains! So today we're proposing to build a giant space wall to keep him away. And we're going to make him pay for it! Here's an idea of what it might look like.

2015.091 (April 1, 2015)

The Great Debate: Broadsword Color

This year's viral phenomenon over whether a dress in odd light was either blue and black or white and gold has rekindled the age-old question: what color is the Broadsword in Privateer? Most Wingnuts clearly recall that the bomber was mostly green in WC2, but it has a less memorable look when flown in Gemini. Fans have long debated what color highlights cover the wingtips and forward fuselage. Now is your chance to answer this question once and for all!

Akkbar Acquires Descent's Dice

Our longtime friend Dan Akkbar Hardwicke is back on the scene with a new a business venture. He's leveraged his considerable street cred in the online space sim community to secure a sweet deal with the makers of the defunct Freespace Tactics board game. For just dollars on the penny, he's purchased 20,000 bulk sets of Freespace dice. Asked whether or not this was a wise investment, Hardwick replied, "I mean, they exist, so why wouldn't people buy them?

2014.091 (April 1, 2014)

This JAW-DROPPING Cruise Liner Rents For 4.2 Million Credits... A DAY

The Guinterin Combine travel company is preparing to launch three brand new luxury liners complete with shuttle bay, casino and spa. The Twilight Purchase, The Blue Horizon and Ana Maria Alberghetti have room for over 6,000 passengers and are set to cruise the Cygnus and Luyten systems. Companies wanting to charter one of these luxury vessels for a corporate retreat can do so for a stunning 4.2 million per day.

10 Cities Most at Risk of Being Hit By an Antimatter Warhead

There's sure to be a hit amongst our list of likely contenders. We asked our team of Earth defense experts which cities were looking the most likely to be craters if the Kilrathi pulled up to downtown Earth and here's what they told us.Chicago Solves crime and the misery of the Cubs in one strike.Pittsburgh Philadelphia gets most of the attention anyways.

These Space Stations Are Too MASSIVE To Wrap Your Head Around

The Blackmane starbase weighs an incredible 650,000 tonnes and is over 2,500 meters long!This Theta-class supply base makes for a "rocking" destination -- If you can find it! It's located somewhere in the Kilrah System.The Ella Superbase is so massive, it can support an entire task group.

Here Are 11 Exclusive Drinks You Didn't Know You Could Order

Canteens across the fleet have been getting pilots hammered for decades, but few people realize that many bartenders offer a second, secret menu with drinks that are regularly requested but rarely publicized. We've compiled a list of the most exclusive (and gut wrenching) spirits that are out there. They won't always be available but they're worth asking for the next time you want to black out.And finally, the Rostov Hairball.

This Exeter Concept Almost Looks Like The Real Thing

The art of creating ship concepts has turned into an obsession for many people over the years, but new concept images showing the rumored upgraded "Exeter" design look so good they could have come from Joan's Fighting Spacecraft itself. Pulled out of thin air by Klavs, using nothing more than Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, these drawings give us a glimpse of what the next iteration of Confed's primary "battleship" might look like, if and when it materializes. Meanwhile, this entirely made-up design is very sleek and the HUGE engines make it look like she'll be much faster than the current generation Exeter! We also like the canted nose and recessed rear hangar bay.

11 Incredible Things You Won't Believe Thrakhath Said!!

MeowRawrNyaaaPurrGrowlHissYowlThe Heart of the Tiger has failed his race. He has failed himself. He has failed the human he knows as Devereaux. Angel, his lair mate, he has failed.

Relive Wing Commander Saga In Six EPIC Screenshots

9 Most OUTRAGEOUS Hair Styles of the Kilrathi Empire

The unwashed look was very popular in 2673.Sometimes Kilrathi can't bear to go gray either.This is called 'matted carpet' style.Some warriors prefer free flowing hair.

2013.091 (April 1, 2013)

Introducing WingStarter: Crowd Funding for the 27th Century Today

Crowd funding has exploded over the last year! Everyone is doing it, so it's time that CIC jumped in too. There's a lot of pledge campaigns out there asking for money to help make a new game or some techno gizmo, but wcnews.com always aims high.

2012.092 (April 1, 2012)

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Wing Commander Saga Marks Download Record

There's great news from Wing Commander Saga today: the FreeSpace 2 total conversion team announced that their game has been downloaded an astounding 157 trillion times since its launch last week. Producer Tolwyn congratulated his developers, but cautioned that the number of Saga users may never be known. It turns out that an exact download count is impossible because of the sheer number of mirrors and the vagaries of bittorrent usage... but one thing is still certain: more people have played Saga than make up the sum total of all humans living and dead across the entire gulf of mankind's shared history.

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New Fan Project Brings Freelancer Home

Chris Roberts' Freelancer is arguably the last star of space sims' golden age. Applying the game mechanics of Privateer to a game with 21st century scope and color balance, it's no wonder Freelancer continues to have an active fanbase to this day. The most major criticism of the game, however, is that it just doesn't quite fit in the Wing Commander universe. Although it was also designed by one of the Roberts brothers and is obviously mechanically a followup to the classic Wing Commander: Privateer, it's just a little too strange and separate to really make sense as a sequel.

GOG Service Streamlined

Big changes are afoot at Good Old Games, the Polish game downloading service that shocked the Wing Commander community by re-releasing several Wing Commander titles last year. The service has published a clean website refresh and announced an exciting set of streamlining efforts: from this point forward they will maximize profits by breaking down some of what they believed to be self-established limitations. Specifically: GOG will no longer focus on things which are good, things which are old or things which are games. Instead of buying affordable classic games available DRM-free for the first time in a generation, users may now choose to "pre-buy" things like "Trine" and "Machinarium" which at press time appear to be specific kinds of fancy soaps.

BREAKING NEWS: CIC Wins Mega Millions!

With all the excitement over Friday's Mega Millions $640 million jackpot, we were no exception to the anticipation of the announcement of the winning numbers. Word is that we may never know who all the winners are since state laws don't require disclosure of who the winners are. What we do know is that the three winners were in Kansas, Illinois and Maryland. Astute WCNews readers may have remembered that a CIC staff member is in Maryland and was one of those three lucky winners!

2011.091 (April 1, 2011)

Announcing the Ralph McCloud Drive!

There's a new service now available to Wingnuts online. Effective immediately, members of the CIC Forums at Crius.net now have the ability to upload and attach small zip files to their posts! No longer will the genius programmers of the community need to add a .

WC Saga Upgrading to Conquest: Frontier Wars Engine

To celebrate the project's 10-year anniversary, the WC Saga team announced today that it is returning to its roots as a total conversion for Conquest: Frontier Wars, released in 2001. Said Space Marshall Tolwyn Tolwyn: "Freespace 2 is based on outdated '90s technology. Conquest will really help the game move into the 21st Century and become the best product it can possibly be." As part of the change, many additional voice actors will be needed.

2010.091 (April 1, 2010)

The Wing Commander CIC

WCNews Twitterfollow me on TwitterwccicBye, bye, blue sky... 6:00 PM Apr 2ndwccicGood morning, WingNuts! 7:00 AM Apr 2ndwccicJEMM Unloaded 11:00 PM Apr 1stwccicWhile you sleep, they'll be waiting... 10:30 PM Apr 1stwccicStop that!

2009.091 (April 1, 2009)

EddieB Looking For Adventure

EddieB of Flight Commander fame has announced that he's begun work on a new project that looks like it will be a lot of fun. Many of us are big fans of the old Sierra adventure games and this looks like it could be right up our alley! I'll let eddie explain:"I'm making a new Sierra style Wing Commander adventure game.Check out the screenshot of Blair meeting Paladin for the first time.

Making the Game: Mission X10

Many players consider Wing Commander Prophecy's Mission X10 to be the finest in the game; one thing is clear from these planning notes: X10 is a rare example of a mission that ended up exactly the same as the game's designers had originally intended.

FreeLancer 2 Fea... I'm Sorry, I Can't Do This Again

I wrote a FreeLancer 2 April Fools Day update way back in 2004. Here it is. Get it? No control whatsoever, because of all the fighting about the lack of joystick control!

2008.092 (April 1, 2008)

BREAKING NEWS: Wing Commander II Box Art Revealed

Origin Systems, Inc. today released a first look at the box art for Wing Commander II: Vengeance of the Kilrathi. It features a pair of Super Dralthi destroying a human transport ship. I hope the Tiger's Claw will get there in time to save the day!

Space Sim First Look: X-Wing

LucasArts - the company previously best known for ripping of Sierra's "Quest" adventure games -- is at it again... and this time they're taking aim at Wing Commander! Presumably impressed with Wing Commander's stellar sales, Lucas announced "X-Wing" at the recent Comdex show - a space shooter which puts the player in the cockpit of the X-Wing space fighter featured in several Star Wars films.As you can see from the screenshots below, this thing isn't going to hold a candle to Wing Commander.

Editorial: Those Awful New Kilrathi

By now you've all seen the first screenshots of the Wing Commander 2 Kilrathi... and I'm sure you all feel the same way I do: disgusted and betrayed. What's the deal, Chris Roberts? In the original game the Kilrathi wore elaborate body armor and were - more often than not - bright green.

Countdown to Strike Commander

It's time for your daily reminder: we're just 273 days away from the launch of Chris Roberts' next opus, Strike Commander!Why so long? Strike Commander is a massive title that will require months and months of programming to 'get right'! With that much lead time, we're sure it will be an especially smooth gaming experience.

"Crazy" Origin Founder Buys Moderately Large House

Ultima creator Richard Garriott, known to thousands of fans as "Lord British", has shocked the Austin community by purchasing an unexpectedly large house. The four bedroom, three bathroom ranch-style home (affectionately dubbed "Brittania Split-Level") is located near the headquarters of Origin Systems. Locals wonder what a single man could possibly want with so much extra space -- but then Garriott is no stranger to controversy, having recently made waves by purchasing a $300 painting of a dinosaur at auction. What will this 'outrageous' character do next?

Point of Origin: It's New!

Origin Systems, Inc. doesn't have an internal newsletter -- yet! But thanks to OSI fan Joe Garrity we know that's about to change! Check out the following internal memo from Fred Schmidt and Dallas Snell:In an effort to promote communication within the organization, we will be creating a company newsletter, Point of Origin.

EA Reports Slight Earnings Increase

Electronic Arts chairman Larry Probst announced today that the company's second quarter earnings were expected to rise 15% above expectations, thanks largely in part to the continued success of their line of sports titles and the quick adoption of the Super Nintendo computer gaming platform. This news isn't important to Wing Commander fans because Electronic Arts isn't the boss of us, and they never will be!

2007.091 (April 1, 2007)

FreeSpace Joins the Arcade

Volition Inc., in concert with developer 3000 AD, announced today the impending release of Descent: Freespace: Coliseum for the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA). The new game collects familiar Freespace ships and lore on an innovative new one-dimensional 'back and forth' playing field. Executive Producer Shaun Nickel says that the game is sure to appeal to both the existing fans, and as many as another two.

Crusader Movie Coming Soon

Soon Wing Commander won't be the only Origin-created property to get the hollywood treatment - Crusader will be making the transition to the silver screen courtesy of Uwe Boll. The German director is famous for creating movies based on games, and even now is currently working on Dungeon Siege, Postal, and Far Cry movies. Crusader started life in the mid-90s as a third person isometric shooter for the PC, and centered on a main character known as a Silencer and his fight against a corrupt World Economic Consortium. Uwe had this to say on his website:I'm really excited about being able to work on a Crusader movie.

Commemorative CIC Wallpapers Available

To celebrate the recent announcement of Wing Commander Arena, here is a pack of commemorative wallpapers that highlight key headlines that were in the news. Famous updates such as "First Arena Screenshots" and "ESRB Announces Arena Rating" are all included. This is a great way to relive some exciting times all day long. You can find similarly awesome background images in our Wallpapers section.

Akkbar Was Wrong!

Reports have surfaced that Akkbar has packed up all his things and rushed to Alaska to strike it rich. After staking a claim near the Klondike River, he's discovered that he's 110 years too late and no gold is to be found. He's now in the process of selling off his Wing Commander collection to pay for a ticket home.

2006.091 (April 1, 2006)

New CIC Themed Wallpaper Available

A lot of people have told us how much they enjoy the look and feel of the CIC front page, but sometimes it's not always practical to leave a copy of your web browser open. Our newest wallpaper solves this problem by permanently setting an image of the CIC as your desktop background. If life starts to get too hectic, just minimize all your programs and relax under the red, white and orange glow. This is the first in an entire series of CIC wallpapers.

Origin Museum Sold!

The famous Origin Museum collection has changed hands! Following a brief period of negotiations, the museum has been purchased by gaming media giant IGN Inc. The startling $10 million transaction transferred a plethora of amazing artifacts to IGNs control, including an original Akalabeth, a Mount Drash cassette and over five thousand copies of Ultima 7: The Black Gate.Former curator turned shipping magnate Joe Garrity, posing below with part of his new fleet of 'Privateer' luxury yachts, said that the sale occured because it was in the best interests of preserving Origin history.

Freespace Returns!

Hot on the heels of Electronic Arts' recent release of Command & Conquer: The First Decade comes exciting news for space sim fans: Volition, Inc. plans to repackage and resell the second most popular Descent spinoff as Freespace: The Only Two Years. Lead developer Mike Kulas, who still feels his exceptionally large capital ships are underappreciated, says the company hopes that the new release will bring in money from freeloading Lunix junkies who became attracted to the series because it was released for free years after its genre-deadening flop rather than because of its actual gameplay. The game will retail for $59.

Akkbar Was Right!

Today, April 1st, 2006, marks the 8th anniversary of Dan "Akkbar" Hardwicke's fall from grace over a WCHS April Fools update claiming that Origin would release a multiplayer patch to Wing Commander Prophecy. Well, for once, it's time to admit we were wrong: fooling aside, nearly a decade later there actually will be a multiplayer version of Prophecy.This means big things for the CIC: if Akkbar was right all these years, he must also have been right about everything else. To that end, we will now be selling out for advertising space and promoting terrible MMP games that aren't related to Wing Commander because we're allowed to play them for free.

2005.091 (April 1, 2005)

CIC Browser Enhancement Patch Ready

A lot of people have asked us whether newer space sims help the community grow or if true Wing Commander fans just want a new Wing Commander title. In order to make avoiding non-Wing Commander games easier, the CIC is unveiling its first Browser Enhancement Patch. With our upgrade in place, Google searches for terms such as "Freespace," "Starlancer" and more will actually request results for "Wing Commander." Fan sites for those series will be blocked and redirected to popular WC websites.

Wing Commander And More

Today we're going to begin polling suggestions for a new game to cover in addition to our Wing Commander news. Apparently the new cool thing for community hubs to do is introduce something called "Dual Coverage." After the recent revelation that Starlancer fans really love Dungeon Siege II and Freespace fans are nuts about Heroes of Might and Magic V, we've decided to let our viewers decide what new game will get second billing on our news page.Our old poll has run its course.

Akkbar Cereal Recalled

The ill fated "Apple Jack Ass" cereal featuring the likeness of Dan "Akkbar" Hardwicke has been recalled. Despite having zero nutritional value, Beto Foodcorp executives were counting on this horrible cereal for a profitable fiscal year-end. Its product launch this week was a nightmare as the vomit-inducing wafers terrified children across the nation. Consumers have been directed to destroy all boxes of the hazardous material and visit Beto's website for a full refund.

2004.092 (April 1, 2004)

CIC Finance to Boost Fund Raising Efforts

Each year the CIC upgrades its servers and provides greater features to help our growing community. This gets increasingly expensive as time goes by. We have tried various projects in the past to generate some income and believe we now have found a new project to successfully sustain our efforts indefinitely. With our new CIC Finance division, Wing Commander fans can send us money and we'll hold on to it for them.

Cavities: The Silent Threat

Volition, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRAP) announced Wednesday that it would be developing a toothpaste based on its quasi-professional line of space combat sims. The toothpaste, produced in cooperation with a generic foodstuffs corporation, will be on store shelves soon. "We here at Volition all agreed that the awful nebula effect in the original Freespace was really the best thing about the game...

Electronic Arts Announces Periodic Relocation

In a move which many claim is "long overdue", Electronic Arts has announced that in order to save space all employees will be shifted four elements up on the periodic table. At press time, EA's workforce is primarily carbon-based. All current employees will be given the option of either conversion to a Helium-based matrix or recieving a small severance package.Electronic Arts recently relocated all of their subsidary companies to a tiny farm house in Redwood City, CA.

FreeLancer 2 to Feature No Controls Whatsoever

In a surprise move last night, Microsoft issued the following statement: "We want to let the gaming public know that we have heard their pleas. Response to the original FreeLancer was overwhelming - and as we gauged fan reaction, we found that the single underlying issue was with the mouse based interface. Therefore, we are pleased to announce that FreeLancer 2 will feature absolutely no control mechanism of any kind."The original FreeLancer was developed without any provision for a flight stick mode, in the hopes of appealing to a gaming public that by and large regards such hardware as the domain of only 'hard core' flight sim players.

eBay Alert!

Continuing with our tradition of helping to promote Wing Commander-related auctions by Origin employees, we are proud to announce that Mike "Boomer" McCoy is selling a very special piece of memorabilia:This diamond encrusted manta ray was commissioned by Boomer himself to promote Wing Commander: Prophecy at the 1997 E3 and CES trade shows. Valued at approximately $28,000 each, only seven hundred were made - all but one of which were distributed to journalists and store managers. Prophecy featured alien 'Manta-class' fighters designed by noted Sci Fi visionary Syd Mead -- so the tie-in is obvious. As thanks for posting this auction, Boomer has promised to give away the ending of Secret Ops again.

CIC to Watermark Images

We always try to use pretty pictures in our news updates, but one negative side-effect is that they get hotlinked from various other sites. Then we get stuck with the bandwidth bill while getting nothing in return. For many years we've put no watermark on our images whatsoever. Unfortunately the time has come for a change.

Matthew Lillard on Last Call with Carson Daly

Mercury reports that Matthew Lillard was a guest on Carson Daly's Last Call late night talk show on Wednesday, March 31. Lillard played Maniac in the Wing Commander movie. Apparently Wing Commander was compared to a horrible ghost movie he did ages ago. Although I didn't see the interview myself, but I can only guess the entire audience gave him a standing ovation when they realized his amazing credentials.

Run! Hide!

Parents shield your children's eyes!Picture size limited to prevent damage to your monitor.

2003.091 (April 1, 2003)

Announcing CIC Complete

We here at the CIC have struggled to bring you the best in Wing Commander related news and services for the last five years. For those of you who have followed our efforts, there have been difficulties paying for our server and we've had to make numerous cutbacks. Until now, we've been happy to do so for free. But the internet bubble has burst.

CIC Staff Banned From DragonCon

Apparently somebody found where we hid the bodies (or CDs from destroyed Wing Commander ripoffs)! DragonCon officials have circulated the following photo to local police and authorities to be on the lookout for certain mischievous staff members of the Wing Commander CIC. Their list of grievances include, but are not limited to: obscene acts against innocent space sims, use of hotel property in destructive ways, commandeering public resources, heckling innocent authors, leering at porn stars, misusing lighting products, "cruising" the streets of downtown Atlanta for periods up to 9 hours, harassment and assault of The Flaming Carrot, & being too pale for our own good. Looks like we'll be crashing the party instead of visiting it this year.

First Freelancer 2 Story Elements Leaked

You heard it first here everybody. Our secret sources have revealed the first tiny bits and pieces about the script for the sequel to Microsoft's Freelancer. Here's what we've seen so far.::TRENT WALKS INTO THE MANHATTAN BAR::Kun'zo Jane: "Hey, I don't know you..

Concrete Proof of Blair's Return?

Just minutes ago, brand new Forums poster Blair4523634222 posted startling new evidence about a potential new WC project. Tentatively titled "Blair's Return," so far it does look convincing. Utilizing plot twists that forum posters have been begging for for years, have our prayers finally been answered? The CIC has secured an exclusive screenshot as well.

Famous Anniversary Celebrated

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the day when the universe united in their hatred of Dan "Akkbar" Hardwicke. Those too young to remember have no doubt heard the terrible stories of his evil wraith, and those who haven't are better off for it. Here's to you Akk. JOIN CIC COMPLETE!

WCPolaroids: Maestro (11/12)

Here we see that Maestro is happy because EA gave him a very generous wage. JOIN CIC COMPLETE!NOTE:The movements of those reporting for the CIC are restricted and their reports are monitored by EA. Today's news stories were written in accordance with EA ground rules allowing so-called fan site reporting, in which internet journalists are left to fend for themselves.

2002.091 (April 1, 2002)

Wing Commander TV Show Cast!

Chris Roberts' PNR Films issued a press release today announcing that the role of Colonel Blair in the upcoming Wing Commander TV show has been decided: the legendary fighter pilot will be played by The Origin Museum's Joe Garrity. Said Roberts: "We wanted to go with an unknown instead of a teen idol this time... but I think the results will speak for themselves: Joe Garrity will be the next Freddie Prinze Junior." Pictured below: Garrity in full costume.

Historic Accord Reached

WingNuts everywhere can finally breathe a sigh of release -- a long-debated treaty with SpaceBattles has finally been signed. Master negotiator Bob McDob summed it up best: "In exchange for allowing Freespace and Star Wars ships to have six times as many guns Wing Commander ships will be considered invulnerable to being attacked by dogs! Additionally, all references to 'durasteel' in the WC canon will be considered to have read 'apple pie'. Let the intelligent debate begin!

Chris Reid is WATCHING YOU!

Console War Ends!

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the long-abandoned 3DO Console has claimed victory in the fierce console war. In a move that shocked the now-surrendered competition, the 3DO flew a desperate end run mission, striking the enemy fault line with highly experimental "M2" technology and toppling the three console giants. Although Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo (now "The Assembly of Consoles") could have easily struck back against the vastly inferior 3DO system they recognized that to do so would be without honor and surrendered unconditionally.

That One About Akkbar

Like most Americans, we don't really care about Akkbar anymore... but it wouldn't be April Fools Day without an Akkbar themed update. And this is it.

2001.091 (April 1, 2001)

WCNews Announces Cutbacks

The following e-mail was sent by LOAF to all members of the CIC staff.Today, WCNEWS.com announced staff reductions to our online website that will put us on a quicker path to further non-profitability. I want to make sure that everyone understands the scope and the context of these actions.

WCA Mirror - Episode 7

You can now download Wing Commander Academy - Episode 7 (Expendable) here. Thanks to TyeDyeBoy for hosting duties.

Supreme Court Rules on Privateer 2 Issue

The United States Supreme Court ruled today on the controversial issue of whether or not Privateer 2: The Darkening is part of the Wing Commander series -- deciding that the game bares enough similarities in both fiction and gameplay to be considered part of the Wing Commander canon. The descision, the result of a 5-4 vote, has shocked Wing Commander fans through all walks of life. Justice Clarence Thomas responded to press speculation, stating that: "Our descision is based primarily on the fact that Privateer 2 contains numerous references to the 'Confederation'. We also took into consideration various other minor references -- and the simple fact that it's simply difficult for Privateer 2 *not* to be considered a reletive of Wing Commander.

Akkbar Still Sucks

Experts now predict that Dan "Akkbar" Hardwicke -- who now goes under the IRC alias cHEMICALx -- still sucks. "God.. still brooding over 3 years past... grow up", responded Akkbar to the recent allegations, before proceeding to repeatedly !

2000.092 (April 1, 2000)

Sweeping Changes for the CIC

In an effort to cut costs, streamline our efforts and ensure the longevity of the CIC, we'll be soon be moving to yet another server. That's right, wcnews.com will soon redirect to my personal computer! The staff has been conducting a variety of bandwidth stress tests over the past few weeks and we've determined that my 33.

Origin Announces Seventeen More!

At a press conference this morning Electronic Arts announced that their subsidiary, Origin Systems Inc., will immediately begin development of seventeen more Ultima Online products. Said one Origin rep: "The current market for massively multiplayer products set in the Ultima Universe is huge! Just one or two Ultima Online games is sure to miss out on a large percentage of the people who want to play an Ultima game online!

Military Scandal!

CNN has reported on a recent shake up in the United States Navy's chain of command, following allegations that Captain Johnny is "not a real Captain." Said an anonymous source at the Judge Advocate General's office: "It's a tricky situation... if he's a real Captain, then he can be in serious trouble for pretending to be a Captain. But if he's not in the Navy, it's outside our jurisdiction...

Ask Mark Asher

Dear Mr. Asher,My ninety year old father recently passed away. He was a good man who lead a full life... but now that he's gone, I'm not sure how to continue to go about my life without him?

Wing Commander Discussed!

As part of what was later termned "the year's biggest coincidence" IRC's infamous #W-C chat channel mentioned Wing Commander itself.*** Sk8er58 has joined #W-C<Beagle-1> I kiss you!* Beagle-1 welcome.mid<Sk8er58> did u see richard garriot left origin???????

A Real Winner!

The winner of this year's Heistand Trophy, an award given annually to the outstanding college marketing executive in the United States by the Downtown Marketing Club of New York City, has been announced! Mike Gallagher of the University of Massachusetts will be given the award for his suggestion that they make "lots more Ultima Onlineses." Commented the head of the Heistand Committe: "We're all really proud of this young man... he has truly taken marketing to the next level!

Akkbar Wants Some!

Former CIC/WCHS staff member Dan Hadwicke has been eagerly awaiting April Fools day all year! Akkbar commented last month: "Oh, boy, I can't wait for April first! That's when there'll be an update to insult me! It can't come soon enough!

ERROR!

Next Five eBay Wing Commander Auctions: Wing Commander Kilrathi Saga MIB - Rare! - $0.10, Bids: 0, Ends: 4/01,12:00 Wing Commander Online Alpha Copy - $10.05, Bids: 1, Ends: 4/01,12:00 Wing Commander -- Byydo's House - $7.

1999.091 (April 1, 1999)

Did You Win?

Remember that ESC Magazine competition from a few weeks back? Well they've just announced the winners. So if you are feeling lucky, check their site.

CIC Welcomes New Staff Member

We at the CIC are proud to announce that a new member has joined the staff! Dan Hardwicke, or 'Akkbar' as he likes to be known, will be in charge of not updating anything, refusing to add new subsections and picking fights with other WC fans. Says CIC staffer ace-1: "It was really a tough call. It was a choice between either Akkbar or Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.

Reid to Media: "That Movie Sucked"

At a recent press conference called by Chris "Crid" Reid, he told the associated press: "I'm sorry about everything I've said -- the movie sucked. Freddie Prinze Jr. was awful in his role, they should have used Mark Hamill! He played a 20 year old in Star Wars, 20 years ago, so it makes sense to me that he can play a 20 year old today.

The Place to Be

This week's issue of Time Magazine has named comp.sys.ibm.pc.

LOAF, Byydo Meet Girls

According to today's Variety, Bandit (LOAF) and Byydo have actually had a normal conversation with members of the opposite sex. Says LOAF: "Wow, I never thought I'd ever meet a girl who shared my interest in Wing Commander trivia. Can you name five people who have commanded the Tiger's Claw? I didn't think so...

'Hadrian' Pronounced Correctly

Researchers at Oxford University have announced that after a ten year research program, they have finally determined the proper way to pronounce 'Hadrian'. "A lot of people say 'heyydrian' or 'haadrian' which just isn't right," said Dr. Kevin Snickel, lead researcher. "We'll be announcing our findings very soon, but I can assure you they will both shock and amaze.

Cpl Hades Enjoys Nickname, Loves England

"I really, really like being called 'NutBoy'," Barrie Almond announced today, "It's really better than that whole 'Hades' thing. Plus, it pokes fun at my amusing last name!" Almond added: "Oh, and I really like England, too. We may have to wait for the movie to come out here, but can you Americans claim to be the place they made Privateer 2?

Pikachu

In other news, Pikachu.