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Epic wins North Carolina tech award

by Jason Dobson { Nov 17th 2008 at 11:30PM }

Mark Rein and company will have another memento to share during the office barbeque as Epic has been recognized as the "Top Industry Driven Technology Company of the Year," at least on the Atlantic Seaboard. The accolade was given by the North Carolina Technology Association, or NCTA, as part of the organization's annual NCTA 21 awards ceremony, which applauds technology go-getters in the Tar Heel State.

Other finalists for the award included Parata Systems, PeopleClick and Railinc, companies we imagine lost out due to their flagrant disregard for rag doll physics and courtroom shenanigans.

Grasshopper goes Unreal for EA horror franchise

by Ross Miller { Oct 6th 2008 at 10:30PM }

It may seem like a stretch, but we're keeping a close eye on every scrap of information surrounding the collaboration with Goichi "Suda51" Suda and Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami (as well as Tetsuya Mizuguchi's Q Entertainment). Publisher Electronic Arts has announced (via press release) that Suda51's studio Grasshopper Manufacture has licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for the multiplatform horror franchise. We're curious what the use of UE3 means for the Wii version of the game, given Epic's non-support of the console.

Unfortunately, what's lacking in the press release is any information about the game itself. Said Epic VP Jay Wilbur, "Grasshopper Manufacture is one of the most daring and innovative studios in the world, and we can't wait to see what they're able to do with Unreal Engine 3." Welcome to the club, buddy.

Ignition selects Unreal Engine 3 for 'groundbreaking' FPS

by Jason Dobson { Jul 7th 2008 at 1:30PM }

Yet another company has climbed on board the Unreal Engine 3 bandwagon, as UK-headquartered Ignition Entertainment dropped word that it has licensed Epic's popular tech to help fuel what the company calls a "groundbreaking" new FPS.

In development at Ignition's Florida studio, nothing is yet known of the project beyond that it will be based on an original, as-yet-undisclosed IP. Well, that's not entirely true, as the company does note that the game will be both "exciting" and "fresh," giving us hope that at long last someone will bring together two of our most fond loves, letting us shoot bad guys and raid the salad bar from the comfort of our living room.

Mirror's Edge reflects on Unreal Engine 3

by Ross Miller { May 7th 2008 at 4:30PM }

click to embiggen

Although they have an in-house engine for the Battlefield series (Frostbite), EA DICE has gone with Epic's mega-popular Unreal Engine 3 for the Parkour-inspired Mirror's Edge. According to the development team (via Electronic Arts PR), the reason was that the Mirror's Edge project began early on in Frostbite's development, so they decided to use the more-developed Unreal technology instead.

DICE is also developing "a new lighting solution that truly makes Mirror's Edge stand-out visually." If you haven't had a chance to check out the trailer, do so now. Full statement after the break.

Gallery: Mirror's Edge

Continued →

More than 5 new EA titles to have Unreal Engine 3 under the hood

by Jason Dobson { Apr 8th 2008 at 9:30AM }

Electronic Arts likes what it has seen from Unreal Engine 3, so much so that the company has extended its relationship with Epic, giving EA the rights to incorporate the popular middleware solution into more than five upcoming titles.

As to what games this impacts EA won't say, only noting that each of the games are currently in development. The company first inked an agreement with Epic in 2006 to use the technology, which has since made its way into such recent titles as Medal of Honor Airborne and last month's fist-pounding Army of Two, proving once and for all that even great technology doesn't make the game.

NCSoft licenses Unreal Engine 3 for two MMOs

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Mar 25th 2008 at 6:00PM }

Mo' MMO news now, with Guild Wars publisher NCSoft announcing its licensing of Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for use in two upcoming, still unannounced massively multiplayer titles. The company previously incorporated Unreal technology into Lineage II and giant-mech shooter, Exteel. Much like the rest of us, it seems the folks at NCSoft simply can't resist a well structured rendering pipeline.

"Unreal Engine 3 has a well structured rendering pipeline, and its graphical quality is superb thanks to advanced lighting and shadowing systems," said Young-muk Choi, lead programmer for NCsoft's Development Unit. "Tools within the Unreal Editor empower us to instantly produce and optimize our outputs, and we especially love how the engine enables designers to easily prototype concepts without the need for programming." Jay Wilbur, VP of Epic Games, returned the press release back patting by saying, "We expect to be completely wowed by what they do with our latest technology."

So do we, Mr. Wilbur. In fact, it'll take a lot to wow the millions who've already been thoroughly WoW'ed.

2K invests heavily in Unreal Engine 3

by Alexander Sliwinski { Feb 12th 2008 at 6:00PM }

Despite the issues some developers may be having, Epic keeps finding customers more than happy to stuff the engine maker's mattresses with hundreds of thousands (millions?) of dollars for an Unreal Engine 3 license. Epic's cash deluge continues today with 2K Games' announcement that it's entering into a licensing deal to use UE3 for various unannounced games.

2K Games' president stated the company has been happy with UE3 because it "enables games to perform exceptionally well on both console and the PC" and that, with Epic's support, they plan to continue producing "world-class" titles. While there's no word on what these unannounced games may be, 2K is currently on a development bender with Mafia II, Prizefighter, some sort of BioShock follow-up, the mysterious project at 2K Marin, and a few others in production

American McGee announces next 'twisted tale' project after Grimm

by Jason Dobson { Feb 4th 2008 at 10:25AM }

We're not sure what it is about American McGee that makes him so fascinated about putting dark spins on Western tales. The former id Software developer and Electronic Arts' consultant found his niche in 2000 with Alice, though since that release he's done little to make us believe that his name slapped on the front of a game's box carries any more weight than the UPC code on the back.

His latest project is a morose 24-episode take on the Brothers Grimm in development at McGee's Shanghai studio Spicy Horse, a project that according to a blog post by McGee is halfway completed. Excited, the developer has let the proverbial cat out of the equally proverbial bag by confirming work on another project. While details are light, McGee writes that the game will be built on Epic's UE3 engine, and is a "big publisher, multi-platform, twisted tale project." This of course makes us think that McGee will once again be paying a visit to the children's section of the local library in search of inspiration. Might we suggest Winnie the Pooh, as nothing is quite as frighting as a vicious bear that's rumbly in his tumbly.

[via Gamasutra]

Unreal Engine to power Warner Bros's Chadam web cartoon

by James Ransom-Wiley { Sep 13th 2007 at 3:29PM }

This freakshow is getting its own internet 'toon: Chadam. That's his name (and he should be recognizable to followers of Utah alt rockers The Used). The show is significant because its being created with Unreal Engine 3, simplifying the likely spinning off into game (and perhaps smoothing out that polygon dome). Producer extraordinaire Jason Hall (founder of Monolith) is on board, taking a break from HDFILMS Inc, and will work closely with Chadam creator Alex Pardee to mold the 3D animation, with the end goal being to land the project on real TV. Warner Bros is the parent conglomerate behind the project and has frequently teamed with Hall, who once led its games division WBIE and dreamt up the concept for Condemned (both the game and movie).

Speaking of bugged-out dreams, Chadam will thrust viewers into the "hyper-stylized" world of Vulture, where the box-headed boy enjoys Neo-like status, able to manipulate the physical world with his mind, though apparently lacking in certain imaginative abilities. (Dude, make yourself a new face.) The series will unfold as Chadam attempts to wish away the serial killer Viceroy, discovering the nature of self along the way.

Stranglehold slips again on PC, PS3

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Aug 31st 2007 at 3:00PM }

Guy with two guns epic Stranglehold is still struggling to get a grip on the PS3 and PC, with both versions facing delays just as the Xbox 360 version sees completion. Inspector Tequila's seething vendetta against neatly stacked grocery stands begins on the Xbox 360 September 5th (September 14th in Europe), with the PC version now following on September 18th in the US and the 21st in Europe.

Shacknews reports that the PS3 version of the bullet bonanza is now scheduled for release on September 25th, which translates to an imprecise "October" for Europe.

Stranglehold slips to Sept. 5 on PC and Xbox 360

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Aug 23rd 2007 at 4:55PM }

Midway has confirmed to Joystiq that guy with two guns epic, Stranglehold, has been delayed past its initial August 27th release date on Xbox 360 and PC. John Woo's thoughtful study into the nature of exploding watermelons will now release on September 5th, with the PlayStation 3 version still following on September 17th. If you're clueless about Stranglehold or just have an urge to crush goons beneath suspiciously tethered neon signs, we'd recommend you have a look at the demo currently on the Xbox Live Marketplace.

[Thanks, Kyleia and Justin]

Wideload working on XBLA games

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 13th 2007 at 2:25PM }

With Hail to the Chimp coming along quite nicely, Alex Seropian admits they are working on Xbox Live Arcade "games." Speaking with Gamasutra, Seropian says they have two teams now at Wideload Games. One is working on HttC and the other is on games for "digital distribution." When pressed, he admitted they were for Live Arcade. Wideload Games seems be looking toward the future of digital distribution and learning the ins and outs of XBLA. Hail to the Chimp, despite being a retail product, plays like an arcade game. It's quite obvious how Xbox Marketplace could add to the coffers of Wideload if they sell extra battlegrounds and animals for the game. There's no word yet on what the actual XBLA games they are working on are.

Seropian also talks about Hail to the Chimp using the Unreal Engine 3 and his experience with the controversial engine. He says it's a "great toolset, it's a great engine, and you have to be a little careful about what you want to do with it." He says the engine was designed to make Gears of War, so it's been a challenge getting it to work, but that's it's been "really good" for them.

Silicon Knights' lawyer responds to Epic countersuit

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 10th 2007 at 12:30PM }

GameDaily BIZ has been following the back and forth between Epic and Silicon Knights regarding their dueling lawsuits over the mess that is Too Human and the "inadequacies" of the Unreal Engine 3. Silicon Knights' lawyer has spoken out against Epic's claims that Silicon Nights stole their tech saying SK has now built a "better" engine. The nit-picky part becomes how much of that engine is based of the Unreal Engine 3 tech?

Silicon Knights' attorney, Christopher T. Holland, of a law firm with way too many names, says they'll stand their ground. He says the counterclaim has no merit. Epic is asking for $650,000 in their counterclaim while SK wants "millions of dollars more." Holland also points out that the suit will have no effect on Too Human and that the compensation they are seeking is "based on substantial delay and damages that Epic caused." He goes on to say that the game will come out in a "timely fashion." You know, ignoring the whole two year delay.

Mark Rein speaks on Silicon Knights v. Epic suit

by Alexander Sliwinski { Aug 9th 2007 at 1:59PM }

Epic's Mark Rein is standing strong in the face of the Silicon Knights suit over the "inadequacies" of the Unreal Engine 3. In a statement sent out today he says they have "done nothing wrong" and that they are committed to fight against Silicon Knights' "unfounded allegations." Epic has now gone and filed a counterclaim in U.S. District Court saying that Silicon Knights "decided to misappropriate Epic's licensed technology" and that SK's lawsuit has no merit.

There have been some developers who spoke out regarding development issues with Epic's Unreal Engine 3. Sony even admitted their concerns by sending in their own engineers to get the UE3 working on their "timed exclusive" title Unreal Tournament 3 for PS3. Whatever the issue with the engine, the latest bit in this saga revolves around Silicon Knights allegedly co-opting the UE3 tech as their own. Epic says in their suit, "Indeed, the plain language of the Silicon Knights' Complaint makes clear that Silicon Knights wants to take Epic's Licensed Technology, pay nothing for it, and use it any way it pleases." Epic wants "compensatory and punitive damages, the destruction of infringing goods, including infringing computer code, and attorney's fees and costs." This is only going to get bigger before it gets better.

Stranglehold placed on Xbox 360 and PC Aug. 27

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Jul 27th 2007 at 11:00PM }

Guy plus two guns news now, with Gamespot conveying the long-awaited release date for Midway's bullet-time bonanza, Stranglehold. The destructive action title, labeled as the interactive sequel to John Woo's classic Hong Kong film, Hard Boiled, starts its commercial shootout on Xbox 360 and PC on August 27th. Slow-mo effects seem to be a little more pronounced in the PlayStation 3 version, however, as it's scheduled to arrive three weeks later on September 17th.

One might speculate that Stranglehold is yet another title to be sucked into the increasingly epic Unreal situation, though a three-week delay is certainly preferable to indefinite postponement (and help is on the way!). PS3 owners can take solace in the fact that an HD version of Hard Boiled awaits them on that special edition Blu-ray disc -- well, except for the ones that actually had to click on that IMDB link.