TGS 2009: Epic Games opens new Tokyo studio
You wouldn't think a panel called "Adapting the 'Gears of War' Franchise for Global Consumption" wouldn't take place at Tokyo Game Show. Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps admitted that Gears of War was its biggest franchise, and that "Xbox is not the number one platform here in Japan." However, that didn't stop Capps from having some big news for panel attendees.
"We're hiring, in a speech at Tokyo Game Show," Capps said immediately following his announcement of a brand new Epic Games studio in Tokyo. The team will be responsible for providing support for the Unreal Engine to Japanese studios. It's a known problem that many Japanese teams have been unable to effectively work with the engine, most recently evidenced by the sluggish performance of The Last Remnant on Xbox 360.
The new team may eventually work on new games. Capps did admit that "we are fanboys of Japanese gaming ... We have deep respect for the long history of excellent Japanese games," pointing out to Epic Games' recently released Shadow Complex. Perhaps Epic can hire Kingdom Hearts' Testuya Nomura to make the chainsaw game of his dreams.
