In an alternate timeline, PC gaming may have told a very different story. Warren Spector, in his quest to create a game that he was deeply passionate about, nearly transformed his project into a Command & Conquer RPG.

Spector, tired of the trend towards alien invasions and fantastical heroes in gaming, envisioned a near-future simulation featuring a protagonist named Jake Shooter. He remarked, “I was sick to death of space marines and alien invasions and mages with fireballs and pointy hats. I had made enough of those and wanted to do something different.” Unfortunately, the project, then known by its codename “Troubleshooter,” struggled for internal approval until Westwood Studios expressed interest in developing it with a Command & Conquer theme.

However, luck struck when John Romero, a co-creator of Doom, invited Spector to join Ion Storm, allowing him to bring his vision of Troubleshooter to life unencumbered. Thus, Jake Shooter evolved into the iconic JC Denton, and the rest is gaming history. Spector’s experience raises intriguing questions about the trajectory of the gaming industry and whether immersive simulations would have thrived under a very different gaming landscape.