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Subpoenas place other UE3 licensees in midst of Epic, Silicon Knights lawsuit
Subpoenas have been issued to multiple licensees of Unreal Engine 3 to testify in the ongoing litigation between UE3 maker Epic Games and Too Human developer Silicon Knights, according to Shacknews. Though no licensees are specified, developers who use the engine include Electronic Arts, 2K Boston/Australia, SOE, Square Enix, Ubisoft and the U.S. Army.Said Rein to Shacknews, "I'm leaving the litigation to the lawyers but, if this is the case, I'd like to apologize to any of our licensees who Silicon Knights have inconvenienced." Should license contracts be submitted as unsealed court evidence, there is a chance the licensing fees and other trade secrets could become public record, though Epic's lawyers can move to seal court documents.In late July, Silicon Knights filed a lawsuit against Epic Games over what it felt was inadequate support for its Unreal Engine 3 that harmed development of Too Human. Epic responded and filed a countersuit. In November, Epic's motion for dismissal was denied.
AcroGames using Unreal Engine in new online game
AcroGames, an upstart Korean game development company, has licensed Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for a new game. Epic told Gamasutra that the new game is an online title for the PC. There are lots of different kinds of online titles, but AcroGames is partly comprised of former Lineage II team members, so it's a good, educated guess to suggest that the new title is an MMO. Also, Lineage II was developed using the previous Unreal Engine iteration. Epic VP Jay Wilbur was quoted in Gamasutra, saying: "AcroGames is a promising team comprised of top talent and we look forward to working with them. We are committed to supporting the Asian game market with best of breed development tools, and our agreement with AcroGames marks a significant achievement in this effort."In an interview published just yesterday, Epic's Mark Rein described the language-barrier-related challenges Epic is having with supporting its engine in non-English speaking countries (specifically Japan, in that article). One wonders if they'll run into the same troubles when working with a Korean studio.
Unreal Tournament 3 multiplayer powered by GameSpy
IGN and Epic sent word this morning that Unreal Tournament 3 will use GameSpy's online technology for multiplayer match ups. The announcement makes sense, given that GameSpy joined Epic's Integrated Partners Program in August, marrying the company's technology with Unreal Engine 3 and permitting cross-platform play across both the PC and PS3. According to a statement, both versions of UT3 will leverage off of GameSpy's tools for multiplayer matchmaking, in-game and out-of-game messaging, tracking players stats, VoIP messaging, and online ranking and leaderboards. However, while interoperability between the two versions of UT3 is expected, this still has not yet been confirmed. The game is currently earmarked on our calenders for release for the PC on November 19, while the PS3 version remains something of a mystery.[Via press release]
Destineer taps Unreal Engine 3 for new project [update]
These days, it's often more difficult to find a company who is not using Epic's Unreal Engine for something rather than one that is. Be that as it may, Minneapolis-based Destineer, the distributor behind the Unreal Engine-based Red Orchestra, have continued to look to the popular middleware solution, announcing that the studio has licensed Unreal Engine 3 for an upcoming project.Nothing yet has been announced about the game, though Destineer's pedigree suggests that we should at least save a spot for the title on our ever-crowded radar. The company was founded in 2001 by former Bungie exec Peter Tamte, and has been involved with realistic combat games, such as First To Fight , which is so realistic that it's used by the U.S. Marine Corps for training purposes. That's all well and good, but we're hoping that Destineer uses the new license for something more creative, like letting us be farmers.[Update: Corrected Destineer's role in Red Orchestra.]
Silicon Knights' suit continues, Epic motion denied
Epic Games' motion for dismissal against the Silicon Knights' lawsuit has been denied. Both parties in the lawsuit told GameDaily told that the lawsuit will move forward."Often these requests are denied," said Epic VP Mark Rein. "It is important to note that this was not a decision on the merits of Silicon Knights' claims. We are confident that the evidence will show Silicon Knights breached its license with Epic Games and violated our copyrights and trade secrets."Epic had filed the motion to dismissal alongside a countersuit against Silicon Knights over what it sees as an attempt by the Too Human developer to "take Epic's Licensed Technology, pay nothing for it, and use it any way it pleases." The fate of the counterclaim is unknown.No court date has been set. The lawsuit filed by Silicon Knights claims Epic providing an inadequate Unreal Engine 3 and for providing insufficient support, causing SK's Too Human considerable delay. Given the proliferation of Unreal Engine 3 licensees in the industry right now, we're eagerly waiting to see the list of witnesses called to testify.
Square Enix's Last Remnant trailer debuts
Square Enix has unveiled its "debut" trailer for The Last Remnant. The trailer is certainly pretty, powered by the Unreal Engine 3, and the gameplay (for better and worse) is eerily reminiscent of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series. The text serving as bookends to the one minute, 22 second trailer make a point to highlight that this is an RPG "for the world" that will see simultaneous release in North America and Japan (what about Europe?) on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The actual date of that simultaneous release is unknown. Video embedded after the break.
Crytek and Epic Games rev their engines
Epic Games has found a wide audience, from Silicon Knights to Square Enix, with its Unreal Engine 3; meanwhile Crytek is looking to find success by licensing out CryEngine 2. Both companies also release games highlighting the engines (Unreal Tournament and Crysis, respectively).Next Generation has an article where both Epic Games' Mark Rein and Crytek's Harald Seeley talk about the competitive field of game engines. According to the opening remarks, the article sees Crytek as one of the more promising competitors to the Gears of War developer. It's an interesting read, but we shouldn't forget one engine that just recently made its first unveiling: id Tech 5. Creator John Carmack promised more information at Min-E3, and we think there's a good chance the House of Doom will add some major heat to all game engines.
Indie dev Chair signs exclusive deal with Epic, new Undertow images
Despite 2005's disastrous Advent Rising, which was built on Unreal Engine 2.0, Chair Entertainment will continue to use Epic's tech ... for-ev-AR. The indie developer has signed an exclusive deal with Epic to license Unreal Engine for all current and future projects. While the deal extends across the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 platforms (no Unreal for Wii, remember?), Undertow, Xbox Live Arcade's submerged shooter, is the studio's only project known to be in development (not that we've been holding our breath for the rest of the canned Advent trilogy). As previously disclosed, Undertow will feature both a 15-level campaign (with co-op support) and a pair of 16-player multiplayer modes, packed tight like shredded tuna into the old 50MB XBLA standard. Undertow is tentatively scheduled for release this summer. [Via press release] %Gallery-4096%
New details on Unreal Tournament 3
A feature story in the latest Official Xbox Magazine has revealed some new details about Epic Games' upcoming Unreal Tournament 3 as well as some hype-tacular words by lead designer Steven Polge. Additions to the game include: Four-player co-op and two-player split-screen in the single-player campaign 18 vehicles and five types of turrets Hoverboards Polge also made a few claims sure to be cited in any brouhaha concerning the shooter. Referencing the Great Keyboard & Mouse vs. Controller Debate, the designer claimed that UT3's controls are so good that half of the staff prefer the Xbox 360 version. Also noted were the improvements in Unreal Engine 3, as exemplified by contrasting the game to previous Epic title Gears of War. Polge said that UT3 is "Gears on crack. Cover is for wimps!" You hear that, gamers who bought his company's previous Xbox 360 title? You're a bunch of wimps! (Until Gears of War 2 is announced, of course.)
Capcom licenses Unreal Engine for US developed title
Not wanting to be the last to the party, Capcom has become the latest developer to license the Unreal Engine 3 for use in their titles. This comes only days after another leading publisher, Activision, made a similar announcement. Capcom will be utilizing the Unreal Engine for an unannounced title to be developed in North America. Earlier this month, Lost Planet producer Keiji Inafune commented that "western developers are leading the industry, with Japanese developers falling behind." As Japanese development houses have historically been opposed to middleware, this deal, along with Capcom's recent success here in the west with titles such as Dead Rising and Lost Planet, could be a sign of faith in their western counterpart.
Capcom dragon punches Unreal Engine 3
We're starting to think that Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the core component of Skynet. As more and more developers sign on to use Unreal Engine 3, its network -- and its intelligence -- grows. Soon, when enough developers latch onto the Gears of War creating powerhouse, our world will be overrun with diabolical machines that wish for nothing but out destruction. The latest victim is Capcom, which has licensed the engine for an unannounced North American project. We'd love to imagine the possibilities of a fully rendered Ken Masters in Unreal glory, but we're pretty sure that Capcom wouldn't hand over any Street Fighter development to the US. Could the project be a sequel to one of Capcom's hot 360 properties like Dead Rising or Lost Planet? Only time will tell. Let's hope they get the game finished before the machines attain sentience.[Via Xbox Addict]See also:Activision uses Unreal Engine 3 in new game
Square Enix licenses Unreal Engine 3
With more money and time being spent on creating detailed art assets for modern games, it's no longer surprising to see even Japanese developers licensing engines and toolsets from the likes of Epic Games. Square Enix have announced that they have entered into an agreement with the Unreal Engine 3 and Gears of War developer, gaining a complete middleware platform for use in their upcoming games. General manager of R&D at Square Enix, Taku Murata, explains that the deal will speed up the creation process and allow developers to spend less time working on the nitty-gritty of technology. "The complexity of next-generation game systems featuring HD graphics and multi-core parallel processing poses a number of technological challenges to our game development. However, we can expedite our game development process significantly while allowing extra time and resources to be spent on game design and mechanics by establishing an effective technology platform."Hopefully, Square Enix's Unreal 3 projects will fare better than Namco's aborted Xbox 360 attempt, Frame City Killer.
Virtual reality student project aims to cure acrophobia
The Last Boss's Tom Fronczak (a semester away from a degree in game design) profiles a VR studio at the University of Pittsburgh's Medical Virtual Reality Center, which he and a small team of classmates will use to develop an acrophobia (fear of heights) sim to be used during habitual therapy sessions. Tom's group will be using Unreal Engine (1) to design a level, ideally representing an unfinished skyscraper. Players Patients will slowly ascend the floors of the building, eventually emerging into the open air, where they'll have to navigate up scaffolding to reach the top, grab the flag, and sprint back to base. Development time has be limited to ten weeks.Tom will continue to update The Last Boss readers on the status of his project during the coming weeks, and notes he's eager for feedback. Our advice: Don't look down!
Unreal Engine 3 gets Digimasked
The creative genius' behind Gears of War have a little program they call Unreal Engine 3, have you heard? Well it looks like Digimask and their face mapping software is officially a part of the Unreal Engine. Digimask is the same company that incorporated face mapping technology using the Xbox Live Vision camera into World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions and Rainbow Six Vegas. You just can't help but to speculate whether or not our beloved Gears of War (which utilizes the Unreal Engine) will incorporate the new face mapping technology through a future auto update. Though the more I think about it, I highly doubt we'll see this happen because that would totally mess up the feng shui Cliffy B has painstakingly worked to achieve in Gears. We can always hope that we'll see some Digimask face mapping in the uber-hyped, Xbox 360 exclusive, Unreal Engine based game: Jazz the Jackrabbit 4.
Don't bother tonight, see Gamestop's Gears video here
Select Gamestop stores are hosting a special Gear of War event tonight after closing up shop. Why didn't we tell you about this earlier? There are two reasons. First, they're only showing video of the game, it won't be playable -- yes, we're excited about it ... but not that excited. Second, the giveaways are pretty weak: lanyards and pins. Where's the free shirts or -- even better -- demo discs? Really, exclusive video content? Isn't this what Xbox Live was made for?Since we're loathe to recommend that you run down to your local Gamestop on a Saturday night to crowd in and watch video of a game you've undoubtedly pre-ordered and will be playing in a couple weeks, we're extremely pleased to present you with ... the very same video footage they'll be showing tonight! So, unless you have a real hankering for those lanyards and pins, and an absolute void where your social life should be, we think you oughta skip Gamestop tonight and start practicing for playing Gears.Video is embedded after the break, in two parts. One of the exclusive footage and the other is a clip of CliffyB telling folks they won't find that exclusive footage on the internet ... you mean, this internet?[Many thanks, geneticdefect!]
Watch Chainsaw, play Gears of War
Microsoft is launching their Match Made in Hell promotion for Gears of War this week, and what better way to show off the game's chainsaw bayonet than at an advance screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning? On Wednesday (Oct. 4), AMC theaters in New York, Chicago, LA, and San Francisco will be treating select attendees to a bloody big screen demo of Gears. There are only a limited number of tickets available at the official site, but Microsoft is planning additional events before the game arrives Nov. 7.
Epic joins Shanghai development community
The number of foreign game developers descending upon China has become legion, and Epic Games is the latest to establish a foothold in the growing market. At the Tokyo Game Show, Epic VP Jay Wilbur outlined his company's plans to create an outsourcing division in Shanghai, which will be responsible for creating assets to be used both internally and by third party developers. Not only will Epic be cutting production costs, but their new office (and popular Unreal 3 engine) will most likely attract the attention of local outfits Shanda, The9, and the forthcoming Made in China Online Game Project.See also: Epic's Rein talks Gears, UT2007 American McGee gets episodic in Shanghai
Epic's Rein talks Gears, UT2007
Epic Games VP Mark Rein was back in the hot seat in a new interview with CVG. For part one of two, Rein discusses Unreal Tournament 2007's hover board and weapons roster, the UT Kismet scripting language, and why Gears of War isn't really a "shooter".Regarding the Kismet toolset and UT mod community, Rein had this to say: "Mod makers and designers are going to be able to do things that programmers could barely figure out how to do in the previous generation... you could take Unreal Kismet and build Tetris with it. I mean, without being a really genius programmer you could make a cool puzzle game with it."Well, we've already had Mortal Kombat Tetris, so why not mash up the classic puzzler with a shooter? Using Unreal Engine 3's enhanced particle and shading effects, it would be the best damn looking Tetris game ever!See also: Rein reckons PS3 "in a better place" for launch than 360 EA adopts Unreal engine for select next-gen titles
Project Offset to offset 360
Here's a tip. If you want to get in good with 360 Fanboy bloggers (this one at least), send us news about Project Offset. For those of you that don't know, Project Offset is the codename for an upcoming fantasy FPS created by Offset Software (hence, the catchy codename). Anywho, the news: Offset Software has recently updated their website with a job listing for an Xbox 360 programmer (curiously, no PS3 programmers, though). Offset has already stated that they planned to bring the title out for consoles, but it's nice to see that development is continuing apace -- the studio has also acquired an as yet unnamed "major" publisher. In case you've never heard of this game or its developer, check out a video of the Offset engine in action. Could the Unreal Engine finally see some real competition?[Thanks, Vill4no and SickNic]
GOW rumblings: no demo?
Following yesterday's BIG announcement that Gears of War will hit the US on November 12th and in the UK on the 17th of November, comes the news that there will not be a demo released before the game ships, or possibly ever. Speaking with TeamXbox, Epic VP, Mark Rein, had this to say:"Demos take a long time to create and polish and we can't afford to get derailed like that if we want to have the game in stores by Thanksgiving. Given a choice of the game this year or a demo this year and the game next year I'm sure every one of you would rather have the game this year because you're already planning to buy it. No idea if we'll do a demo or not after the game ships."Maybe that was the real BIG announcement. Seriously though, we all want a taste of GOW, but is there anyone out there waiting for a demo to make up their minds? If so, tell us why.[Via Fraggerock]
