Kotaku: Mark Rein

Unreal Tournament 3 Getting "Major Expansion"

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:40:31 MDT

Epic Games vice president Mark "Call Me Chocolate" Rein has let slip that the developer is hard at work on a "major expansion" to Unreal Tournament 3, according to a report from Eurogamer. Rein also confirmed that Chicago based publisher Midway was still the game's publisher, clearing up any confusion that the Unreal Tournament series was one of the licensed underperformers it was trimming off.

Rein didn't apparently provide any further details, such as platform, price or planned delivery date. But we hope the armor will be much, much bigger in Unreal Tournament 3: Major Expansion but doesn't go so far as to cover up the cleavage of any of the in-game combatants. That wouldn't be right.

Rein outs "major expansion" for UT3 [Eurogamer]

Why Gears of War 2 Won't Be At Leipzig

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 05:00:00 MDT

Leipzig's Games Convention will be Gears of War 2-less. While the game got top Microsoft billing at E3, Gears of War 2 won't be at GC. Explains Epic's Mark Rein:

Microsoft doesn’t show Gears 2 at Leipzig because they don’t sell the game in Germany.

Gears of War 2 won't be sold in Germany due to the country's restrictions on game violence. Bummer.

Rein confirms Gears 2 as Leipzig no-show [VG247]

Rein, Bleszinski, Dyack, Jaffe, Molyneux - STFU!

Mike Fahey — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 10:40:00 MDT

Every year E3 comes and goes and we wind up with the same people being quoted over and over again. Is it because we respect their position in the games industry, or is it simply because they won't stop flapping their gums for five minutes to let anyone else get a word in? Crispy Gamer has gathered the most obnoxiously vociferous members of the gaming business together into a little feature they call "The 10 People We Hope Will Shut the F*** Up at This Year's E3". I'm not sure whether I agree with their choices or not...not because they are dubious or anything...it's just I'm not sure which of these guys I could take in a fight, and E3 is next week. Nintendo's Reggie has those crazy eyes going for him, and Clifford "The Big Red" Bleszinski could easily be hiding Wolverine-like scrappiness under his cool, collected demeanor. Peter Moore is chiseled from granite...hmmm. I bet I could take the founders of Gamecock, but only by exploiting their penchant for wearing capes.

The best part of the article comes at the end, where they mention the people they want to hear more from. They need to just sit Tim Shafer down in front of a PA system and have him deliver a running commentary for the entire length of the show.

The 10 People We Hope Will Shut the F*** Up at This Year's E3 [Crispy Gamer]

Epic STILL Not Interested In Making Wii Games

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:00:00 MDT

Lots of people have the Nintendo Wii. For example, I have a Nintendo Wii and, yes, maybe you do too! With such a high install base, making Wii games would seem like a valuable part of any developer's arsenal. Not Epic's, no sir-ey. The developer has stated in the past that it has no intentions of making Wii games, and Epic honcho Mark Rein still is sticking with his nothanks.jpg for Wii development:

No we don't have any plans to make something for the Wii. That's like asking a sculptor when he's going to start painting. That's just not our medium. That's not our area of expertise — our area of expertise is the more high-end consoles and things that push technology higher. That's what we do — there's a lot more water in that well for us, when that runs dry then maybe we'd have to think of doing something else but I don't think that well is going to run dry anytime soon.

What, no Gears of War party games? Epic, you guys are just turning your backs on heaps of money. Elsewhere in that same interview, Rein says using the stereoscopic 3D Ubisoft is exploring with James Cameron's Avatar is "dumb" — even though Unreal has been able to run stereoscopic 3D "for a long time." The reason being is that it costs so much to buy a stereoscopic monitor. Guess that would make it "expensive" and not "dumb", then...

Using 3D technology is "dumb", says Rein [Games Industry] [Pic]

Rein: Big Publishers Will Run Digital Distribution, Too

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 15 May 2008 03:30:00 MDT

Has digital distribution made games cheaper? Uh, no. But lots of people thought it would. That's not the only myth surrounding the digital delivery of games: the idea persists that selling your games online will be a way to get around the dominance currently enjoyed by big publishers in the bricks-n-mortar retail sector. Well, according to Mark Rein, that's all a load of codswallop:

Digital distribution is not a replacement for a publisher...They'll be paying for marketing just like they do for positioning in a store. The big publishers are going to own the front of those online stores.

Were I a small-time developer, that would be terribly depressing, but since I'm not, I will admit it does sound like a fairly predictable scenario.

Some Publisher Contracts "Borderline Illegal" [Next-Gen]

Mark Rein Working To Make Xbox 360 UT3 Mods Happen

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:00:28 MDT

Unreal Tournament III on PS3 is mod-heaven. People are going bananas! But what about the Xbox 360? Microsoft previously stated it wasn't up for allowing mods. Where do they stand now, pre-release? Let's ask Mark Rein. Mark?

We're still trying. We're working with Microsoft to try to figure out how to support it, but regardless of what happens, mods will play a part somewhere along the line. We'll make sure we get a fair share of mods working. We'll figure that out.

Without allowing mods, Microsoft really seems to be missing a lot, no?
Mark Rein Interview [CVG]

Mark Rein Still Has Gears of War 2 Stuff To Show You

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 04:00:00 MDT

Mark Rein's best cheerleader? Mark Rein. And man, is Mark Rein ever excited about that Game Informer article on Gears of War 2. Like, it's probably the best thing Mark Rein has read all month. Says Mark Rein:

Awesome... I've had a chance to read the Game Informer story now and I think when people get a chance to read it they'll see that [Gears 2 is] really good. And we told the Game Informer guys just a tidbit about the game. We showed them some stuff, obviously, but we're keeping a lot of information back that will make people go, 'It's even better than this.' As good as they say it is, and they really, really like it, there's still a lot of story to open up between now and when the game ships in November... I think people will really enjoy this game.

Of course you do, Mark! That's your job!!
Tidbit of Gears 2 [videogaming247]

Mark Rein "Blown Away" By New 50 Cent Game

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:00:00 MDT

Mark Rein is not an easy man to impress. He's very picky. That chocolate suit he's wearing, it took him years to pick that out. So, when he says he was blown away by Unreal Engine 3 licensee 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, that means something. What, we're still not exactly sure. Says Blood on the Sand game director Julian Widdows:

When we heard he was coming we were like 'oh no, we're gonna get killed!' But he was over the moon, we're chuffed about it... We're obviously an Unreal Engine 3 licensee and he just came in for a visit and said 'oh my god, I can't believe you're working on this, it looks phenomenal'. That was it; it wasn't anything particularly formal, he came in to say hello to his licensees and was blown away by it. That was great for us.

Don't just think of Mark Rein as some game executive in a chocolaty suit, he's a motivator. He motivates.
Rein "Blown Away" [CVG]

Chocolate Rein Gets The Cliffster Back On-Message Re: PC Gaming

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 21:40:00 MST

Oh no, Cliffy, you so did not just say PC gaming was in disarray. How could you? Epic and PC gaming are tight, and you've even signed up to PC gaming's very own super friends! Time for Mark Rein to step in and set the record - and your message - straight. Speaking with MTV, the pair said:

MR: We want all these people buying laptops and reasonably priced PCs, to at least be able to be exposed to gaming. They can go out later and upgrade to something better, but let's at least give them a baseline experience."

MTV: Cliff, you buy it? PC gaming is back?

The Cliffster: Abso-frigging-lutely. The thing is, I think everybody coming together in that kind of way will essentially kind of help re-glue things back together and kind of help fix the market. I have a big PC gaming heritage and I love playing games with a keyboard and a mouse, as well as a console, and I'd just love to see it.

Much better!
Epic's Mark And CliffyB Explains What PC Gaming Alliance Means For Gamers — 'Disarray' Dismissed [MTV]

Epic Aren't Worth $1bn...They're Worth At LEAST $2bn!

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 04:30:00 MST

Rumor: Microsoft are going to buy Gears of War creators Epic for $1 billion. Rumor response: Epic VP Mark Rein, while refusing to rule the possibility out, gets his not-really-serious bargaining boots on and says $1 billion is totally unacceptable:

I have not seen the actual GamePro article but if they're going to make predictions about us selling Epic we would prefer if they started at $2 billion. Because we don't want anyone thinking that we're cheap.

I dunno Mark...that brown suit...you might want to kick it up to $3 billion, just to be sure.
Rein: "$1bn? We're not that cheap" [Develop]

Epic Shoots Down GamePro's Gears 2 Exclusive

Mark Wilson — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:40:38 MST

The upcoming GamePro issue hitting newsstands February 12th entices gamers with a "special report" on Epic's Gears of War 2—the game we all know is coming but has yet to be announced to the world. So did GamePro score the scoop? According to Epic's Mark Rein, they did not.

It is complete nonsense. We have not announced a sequel to Gears of War to Gamepro or anyone else for that matter.

This response, of course, does not write off the possibility of hot gossip or legitimate leaks. But don't expect six pages of centerfold-quality Gears 2 porn or any official confirmation.

Gear Of War 2 [Announced?] In Special Report In Next GamePro [Epic via NextGeneration]

Epic Still Fighting For UT3 Mods on 360

Mark Wilson — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:40:56 MST

After finally getting around to loading my copy of UT3 for PS3 last weekend, I can really appreciate just how easily Epic made downloading elements during multiplayer—it feels just as simple as it did years ago on PC. But Epic is still fighting the good fight to bring this same level of PC integration to the Xbox 360 version of their game. From Mark Rein:

...we're hopeful. Microsoft hasn't said "no" yet, but then they haven't said "yes" either. We need them to say "yes," and we need them to do it soon.

So what happens if Epic can't strike a deal with Microsoft?

If it doesn't work out with Xbox 360, depending on sales of the game on that platform, I imagine we'll find a few of the best mods and get them on Xbox Live Marketplace. I don't think 360 users are going to suffer drastically - they're just going to miss out on a lot of crazy, cool fun stuff and the ability to exchange it among themselves. They may also end up paying for content that is free on other systems because Microsoft now has to host it and certify it.

Oohh, that's pretty much exactly not what we wanted to hear. The Mark Rein interview [Guardian Unlimited via N4G]

Epic Can't Quit The Shooters

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:00:54 MST

Epic's games come in two flavors: First person and third person. Mix it up, guys! Can't you make other types of games? You know, games that aren't shooters? Epic honcho Mark Rein says:

We love making shooters, and I'm certain there are still countless ways we can improve in that genre. We look at Gears of War and we see the pimples, we look at UT3 and think 'we should also do this, we should also try that, if only we had more time and more people, we could have done...' so I think we're continually looking at our own games and thinking there are lots of unfinished puzzles left to solve before we move on to something else... There's still a lot of low hanging fruit in this genre — we need to pick some more of that.

And that fruit, dear reader, pays the bills and buys the brown suits.
Mark Rein Interview [Guardian Unlimited]

Rein Defends UTIII PC Sales, Crysis Too

Mark Wilson — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 13:20:43 MST

The numbers we've seen on Unreal Tournament III sales for PC haven't been good, right alongside fellow November PC release Crysis. But while Epic's Mark Rein asserts that neither UTIII nor Crysis have flopped:

It is amazing how people can look at two weeks of sales (in our case) in one single territory in the busiest Xmas sales season the industry has ever seen and come to the conclusion these titles are doing "badly". I don't think either title is doing so badly.

As for Crysis sales being a bit higher:

Crysis probably has 3-4x the marketing budget of UT3 and more mindshare because it is a PC-only, high-end, single-player oriented game. This isn't the fastest selling UT title ever but it's doing pretty well and we're going to support it with some pretty cool things to help it keep selling over time.

While we're (OK, I'm) a huge Unreal Tournament fan, when the latest installment's advertising needs to call upon its Gears of War street cred, one has to wonder how relevant the IP is to the emerging younger market.

Mark Rein answers your questions! [via cvg][image: gettyimages]

Unreal Engine Invades Kids' Summer Camp

Brian Crecente — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:00:02 MST

iD Tech Camps, a sort of summer camp for children interesting in game development and computers, announced today that they will be offering classes on using the Unreal Engine 3 tools to make games to six or seven students this year. The instruction sounds like it will be heavy on the modding, but there will also be instruction on creating original games and environments.

"We've partnered with iD Tech Camps because of their reputation for quality game development instruction for teens," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "Unreal Tournament 3 delivers unparalleled game quality that gamers have come to know and expect from Epic Games. We are reaching an audience of gaming enthusiasts who play the game as well as learn to design and mod with our deep set of tools."

This seems like a pretty smart move on Epic's part. It's sort of like Apple giving computers to schools to use in their labs. It hooks kids when their young.

Video Game Camp Uses Award-Winning Unreal Tournament 3 to Teach Valuable Game Development Skills

CAMPBELL, CA - January 3, 2008 - Today's teens are the first generation born into a world completely oriented around technology. Their births were announced on a cell phone and their images growing up were sent to family on the Internet. They have social networking pages and build relationships by calling and texting friends.

So what's the best way to teach technology, and more specifically, the emerging field of video game development, to teens? Campbell, CA based iD Tech Camps, America's largest national youth summer computer camp, thinks it has the answer. Instruction is broken into manageable parts and classes promote hands-on learning in small groups of just 6 or 7 students—a big departure from a typical school classroom of 30. Topics at the camp focus on the interests of teens. And who wouldn't want to make their own video game? The small peer group collaboration and emphasis on experimentation encourage exploration and creativity in the rapidly expanding field of video game development.

"We provide an environment where instruction is personalized and fluid," said Pete Ingram-Cauchi, president and CEO of iD Tech Camps. "Teens choose our computer camp because we have the cutting edge software and tools that are most relevant in the industry. Partnering with industry leaders like Epic Games is vital. They believe in our teaching philosophy. They understand that a key component to offering the best tech courses involves instruction of the industry's leading game engine, Unreal Engine 3, as provided with the Unreal Tournament 3 game."

Midway, a leading interactive entertainment publisher and developer, and world-renowned developer Epic Games, Inc., recently announced that the highly anticipated and award-winning Unreal Tournament 3 game has shipped for PC. Building off of the massive success of Gears of War, the 2006 Game of the Year, Epic Games has brought the world's premiere and multi-million unit selling first-person shooter back to the PC. Students at iD Tech Camps will get instruction on the Unreal Engine 3 tools that ship as part of the Unreal Tournament 3 PC version. This way they are getting training in a world-class professional game engine that has also been used in award-winning, million-selling, games including Gears of War, Mass Effect and BioShock.

"We've partnered with iD Tech Camps because of their reputation for quality game development instruction for teens," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "Unreal Tournament 3 delivers unparalleled game quality that gamers have come to know and expect from Epic Games. We are reaching an audience of gaming enthusiasts who play the game as well as learn to design and mod with our deep set of tools."

iD Tech Camps and the iD Gaming Academy use the recently released Unreal Tournament 3 in their curriculum and during NVIDIA-hosted Gaming Tournaments. Students will be able to modify Unreal Tournament 3 by adding new levels, redesigning skins or replacing characters to customize game play through interactive modding tools. They can also create 3D video games and design 3D environments and levels complete with advanced special effects.

The "couch potato" characterization of video game players is being tossed out the window. Players no longer passively play; they build their own environments, characters and strategies. Educators and manufacturers are responding by providing the training, technology and tools that allow users to be more than just players.

UT3 Is Ready For 360, No It's Not

Mark Wilson — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 11:40:34 MST

This page article a German gaming magazine (can anyone name it?) claims that the Xbox 360 version of Unreal Tournament 3 is 90% finished, and that it will be released around April 2008. However, Epic's Mark Rein quickly addressed the article to clarify that Epic had not set a release date (which is believable, since UT3 PS3's release wasn't solid until the last possible moment) and that as of right now, their focus is to release the PS3 European version of UT3.

Who out there has been playing a lot of UT3? And is anyone eagerly awaiting the 360 version? Do you still care about the franchise?

Mark Rein: We don't have a solid release date for UT 3 on Xbox 360 [maxconsole]

Sin City Gets Unreal

Michael McWhertor — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 16:40:00 MST

The Red Mile-developed video game version of Frank Miller's Sin City may very well not suck. It may very well also help Epic Games' Mark Rein sleep better at night, as the game based on the long-running comic book series will absolutely not feature a single bald space marine and will most likely not have that Unreal Engine 3 "look." Oh, did I forget to mention it's using the Unreal Engine? Well, it is, as Red Mile and Epic have announced today, cruelly teasing us with a tiny tidbit of info and failing to include a single screenshot for us to pick apart. Dare I say it? Dare I look forward to Sin City the game?

Mark Rein Explains How UT III Wound Up On The PS3

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 19:40:00 MST

Simply put, it's the ability to run (really run) user generated content. Gamasutra's Brandon Sheffield and Christian Nutt sat down with the Epic Games' mouthpiece to chat about all things Unreal—why Epic won't dedicate time to porting Unreal Engine 3 to Wii, why he's "very sensitive" about accusations that all UE3 games have a "look" and why the team decided to go to the PlayStation 3 for their latest shooter. Rein clears up some differences between user created content in Sony's LittleBigPlanet and Home which is decidedly non-"Wild West", almost anything goes when it comes to Unreal Tournament III mods.

Of course, Rein says they'll have a mechanism in place to blacklist certain mods that users report as objectionable, but the user created content on the PS3 version is the real deal. It's not just "rearranging chairs on the deck" a la LittleBigPlanet, it's scripting, graphics, models, level design.

Rein also chimes in, albeit briefly, about Square-Enix's plans with the Unreal Engine. Every sensitive about slights against his company's platform, he hints "there's a game that doesn't look anything like our games" coming from the Final Fantasy/Dragon Quest factory. Details are scarce, but Rein does let us know it's "neat." Consider it pre-ordered!

The Unreal Man: Mark Rein Speaks [Gamasutra]

Midway Confirms UTIII Is Coming In December*

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 16:20:00 MST

* But may be arriving in "limited quantities", most likely due to the elves at the PlayStation 3 game processing plant being unprepared for the game's last-minute gold status. The official word—as predicted by Epic Games-smith Mark Rein alongside the good news that Unreal Tournament III will ship in 2007—is that the PS3 first-person shooter will start showing up in stores on December 11th, arriving with a trickle, not a torrent. For those desperate for a copy on day one, a pre-order won't hurt your chances of securing a copy.

Unreal Tournament III PS3 Goes Gold, Saves Christmas

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:40:00 MST

Epic Games' Mark Rein writes on the developer's official forums that the PlayStation 3 version of Unreal Tournament III has finally gone gold and will make it to retailers in time for a 2007 release. While a solid release date most likely won't be confirmed until the expected formal announcement, Rein estimates that "Midway will start shipping the title to North American retailers on Monday December 10th and it could show up in stores as early as December 11th but more likely toward the middle of that week."

Those driven to the brink of insanity by warnings of the UTIII's delay to 2008, which were later semi-scuttled by Rein himself can finally join the rest of us with full mental faculties intact. Welcome back. And yay!

Unreal Tournament 3 for PS3 has gone gold for North America! [Epic]

Finish UTIII PS3, Take a Break, Talk to Microsoft

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 06:00:11 MST

Epic Games is busy and has to proirtize. Priority number one? Getting that PS3 version of Unreal Tournament III shipshape. Where does that leave the Xbox 360 version? Nowhere near done — blame the mods. Epic's Mark Rein explains:

The PS3 is an open system, and they embrace user-created content. But there isn't really a way to do that on the 360... So our job, when we finish the PS3 version, and we've taken a little break, is to sit down with Microsoft and to figure out how we can do mods on their system.

To recap: The PS3 version has been pushed back to possibly 2008, the Xbox 360 version isn't anywhere near release and the PC version, well, that's on track for November 23rd.
UTIII on 360 [CVG]

How SIXAXIS Is Used in Unreal Tournament III

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 01:00:26 MST

Sure, we got hands-on with the PS3 version of Unreal Tournament III at TGS. It played great and smooth — save for the times it didn't cause Sony consoles to crash. So how is the PS3 version different from the PC one? Explains Mark Rein:

Well, the PLAYSTATION 3 has a lot of unique features and we try to take control of them - like with SIXAXIS. SIXAXIS can be used to steer the hoverboard or The Redeemer, but that's it. We wanted to be very careful not to hammer this functionality in just because we could. As for PlayStation Network, we just don't have a plan to use that right now to my knowledge but I suppose it's possible.

Smart. A mouse and keyboard probably handle steering much better anyway, no?
Mark Rein Interview [bit-tech.net via PS3 Fanboy]

Thanks Chris!

"Good Chance" UTIII Ready Before Xmas

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 23:00:36 MST

Unreal Tournament III? Can't wait. The PC version is out this month, while the Xbox 360 version hits next year. And the PS3 version? That was slated for the holidays, but might slip to early 2008. In a recent interview at the San Francsico UT III launch event, Epic VP Mark Rein answers concerns about the PS3 release:

We're getting awfully close. This version we had here today was [gestures] this close to being a release candidate, so hopefully we'll be done with it really soon. If we get it done at just the right time, there's a good chance it'll be out in stores just before Christmas.

The day after Christmas is fine too, Mark. I've got the day off.
Mark Rein Interview [Dtoid]

SouthPeak To Enjoy Unreal Engine 3 License

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 19:20:35 MST

It would appear at this point the number of developers who license Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.0 should start issuing us press releases to let us know they're not using it. But I suppose we're still fascinated enough by the penetration of the Unreal Engine these days to find it notable that yet another publisher has signed on. Today, it's SouthPeak Games who announced that the software will be used in its upcoming Monster Madness EX: Battle for Suburbia for the PlayStation 3. It's the port of the Xbox 360 and PC game of nearly the same name, just with an added E and X.

It may sound like very dry stuff, but SouthPeak and Epic both agree that the license is very important for independent studios who, according to Mark Rein "would typically have to wait a long time to work with our award-winning game engine." While Monster Madness was generally given a "meh" by reviewers, we hope that it will be put to good use by whomever SouthPeak signs on next.

SouthPeak Games Signs UE3 Studio License with Epic Games

License Agreement Opens More Opportunities for Independent Developers

GRAPEVINE, Texas - November 7, 2007 - SouthPeak Games, emerging publisher and distributor of entertainment software, today announced a studio license agreement with Epic Games for use of the Unreal Engine 3 (UE3) in the development of its upcoming PC and video game titles worldwide. The agreement is in effect throughout the life of the UE3 technology application across all major platforms including downloadable content. SouthPeak's latest release planned under the new studio license is Monster Madness EX: Battle for Suburbia, currently under development by Psyonix Studios for PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

"Independent developers need more opportunities to bring their games to market with next-generation technology," said Katie Morgan, executive vice president at SouthPeak Games. "UE3 provides developers all the tools and resources necessary to build great games and SouthPeak is giving talented developers a chance to focus on creating their games without spending the resources to create an engine to support it."

"We see this as a landmark agreement for Epic and the UE3 technology because of SouthPeak's focus on independent developers," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "They are going to bring UE3 to a group of developers that have fantastic games but would typically have to wait a long time to work with our award-winning game engine."

"Our focus on UE3 technology has been key to our success as an independent studio. This is an ideal opportunity for us to work with SouthPeak on our projects," said Dave Hagewood, president of Psyonix Studios. "We're excited to be working with SouthPeak to bring our upcoming game to market in 2008."

About SouthPeak Games
SouthPeak Games has been publishing and distributing entertainment software since 1996. Recognizing the market need for an independent publisher, SouthPeak is focusing on marketing games from top-notch developers for all popular game platforms. Leveraging its outstanding distribution experience and retail strength, SouthPeak is currently launching new game titles worldwide. Recent titles released include the popular role-playing game (RPG) Two Worlds and Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia. For more information about SouthPeak Games, please visit www.southpeakgames.com.

About Unreal Engine 3
The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and a best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 is expected to maintain those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3's new toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers' productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained at www.unrealtechnology.com.

About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in their Unreal series and their latest game, Gears of War, broke sales records on Xbox 360 selling more than 3 million copies worldwide in the first ten weeks and awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Game Developers Choice Awards, GameSpot, GamePro and many others. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including Console Game of the Year winner "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" by Ubisoft; PC Gamer's Game of the Year "Deus Ex" from Ion Storm/Eidos; "America's Army: Special Forces" by the United States Army; and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine's Front Line award for Best Game Engine. Epic Games was also awarded Studio of the Year at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards and Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through Epic's Web site at www.epicgames.com

UT III Is So "Smooth" and "Really Fantastic"

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:00:18 MDT

UT on a high-end PC is amazing, but we're slightly concerned how UT III runs on the PS3. There might be lags and a slower frame-rate. That, dear reader, would be a huge drag! Sucky, even!! We wonder if Unreal Tournament III on the PS3 will be any good? Let's ask Epic honcho Mark Rein. Mark?

I was playing the PS3 build for a few hours tonight and it is really, really fantastic...　amazingly smooth and solid. I think you PS3 users are in for a huge treat with UT3.

Whew! We were worried. Well, as long as the guy who runs the company likes the game, then we have absolutely nothing to worry about. You know what's really smooth, Mark? That chocolate-colored suit.
Mark Talks PS3 UT III [Epic via CVG]

UT3 Beta Coming Within 2 Weeks

Mark Wilson — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 12:30:49 MDT

Good news, PC users. The UT3 beta is coming out within two weeks according to Mark Rein. Wait, why did we say "within" instead of just "in?" Because it could be even sooner.

The development team feels they're pretty close to being ready to release this so it could come out this week but for safety sake I'd say it should be out within two weeks.

We hate playing it safe! So we're calling it.

One week and 6 days. You heard it here first. Don't be a sucker who reads other gaming news sites and is like, "Two weeks? I'll write that on my calendar and will not read another thing about UT3 until then." Be the sucker who writes, "One week and six days? I'll write that on my calendar and move back into my hole until then with a bottle of Jack." See what we're getting at here?

UT3 beta demo coming soon [via opposablethumbs]

Epic Avoids the Wii, Can't Blame Them

Mark Wilson — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 16:00:39 MDT

Epic's UT3 engine brings them a lot of money in licensing. But there appears to be one oversight: Epic is making no money on the most popular next gen console on the market today. Mark Rein explains what gives.

I don't think there's a lot of money on making engines for the Wii...because the big software dollars right now are being earned on Xbox 360 and they're going to be earned on PlayStation 3, and I think unless you're going to sell your engine to Nintendo, you're going for scraps on that platform.

Subtext? Because everyone other than Nintendo will just be cashing in on beefed DS ports. It's too bad major engine makers like Epic aren't getting into the Wii, since we still need the system's graphics to be pushed to the max, even if that max is nowhere near true graphical maximums.

Mark Rein: No money in Wii engines [cvg and gametrailers]

Mark Rein - Bungie "Nailed" Halo

Mark Wilson — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 12:00:35 MDT

In case any fanboys needed his blessing, Epic's Mark Rein has spilled his guts on Halo and why he ~~loves~~ really really likes the franchise a lot.

I don't look at Halo and go, 'That's the greatest graphics'. I don't look at Halo and go, 'Wow those are the coolest enemies ever'. I look at Halo and go 'They nailed it'. This game is so fun to play, everything works just right.

And it's that execution, Rein argues, that made FPSs a success on consoles. He also added:

But it's no Too Human.

OK, maybe he didn't actually say that last part.

Rein lavishes praise on Halo 3 [play]

Justify Your Engine, Mark Rein

Mark Wilson — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 12:00:19 MDT

Our Justify Your Game segment is supposed to only last 15 seconds. But some of our participants are...higher maintenance. So hit the play button and prepare for a truly epic edition of JYG.

Rein Talks About His Suit (Not, The Brown One)

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:00:52 MDT

Mark Rein is a talker. He speaks his mind and doesn't pull any punches. So between rebooting PS3 after Unreal Tournament III-induced crashes, he starts talking about the Unreal Engine 3 lawsuit with Silicon Knights. Our ears perk up. We take notes. We listen. According to the Epic Games honcho:

That's not even the issue. There's more to it than meets the eye. You have to read between the lines. I mean, nobody was talking about Too Human before this. The whole lawsuit is going to go on for years, and it's going to turn into a He Said, She Said. Are you still going to be writing about this in eight years?

Yes, Mark, yes we are.

Epic: No UT Delay, But No Guarantees Either

Mark Wilson — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 13:20:31 MDT

Mark Rein is doing a some damage control over his self-induced rumors of a possible delay for Unreal Tourment 3. But the damage control is just as open-ended as what he said to start all of our buzzing in the first place.

Nothing has changed at this point...we're working toward a November release.

Translation: No delay.

Ahh. Phew. We were worried there for a second. Wait, wait! Stop talking! Noooo!

We don't know the specific release date yet and I think it is always prudent to remind our fans that we value quality over release date. They've come to expect that from UT and we don't want them to think we're handling UT3 any differently.

Damn. Translation: "We don't think there will be a delay, but it's coming down to the wire. And we also didn't think there was life on Mars and now we up in the air about everything."

No date for Xbox 360 version [gameindustry]

Rein Warns of Potential UT3 Delays

Mark Wilson — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 13:20:40 MDT

On the official forums, Mark Rein popped in to settle a debate on Unreal Tournament 3 countdown timers. But in doing so, he kind of killed the party:

We do not know exactly when the game will be completed. All we've said is that we're hoping for a November release but as you know we value getting it right over getting it right now so there's no guarantee of that.

Truthfully, Epic may be better not releasing the game in November. Sure an 08 launch would cost them the holiday season, but there is plenty of competition on the store shelves in the coming months. But we hope not, because all that slower paced Halo 3 multiplayer will get us craving some crack-on-speed UT3 gameplay.

Forum [via aeropause]

No Unreal Tournament III Demo

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 06:00:05 MDT

Epic doesn't do demos. They do games. 'Cause when you have a small staff, you don't have time to focus on other things. You can only focus on the game. Epic bossman Mark Rein (above, touching something) lays it all out:

What we told Microsoft last year — they wanted a demo for Gears of War and we said 'you've got a choice — you can have the demo this year or the game this year'... We're not a big huge company with the resources to do that, and all the time we're testing that demo we're not testing our full game, which we need to be doing constantly... We'll have a PC demo for UT, [but] I don't think we'll have a PS3 demo before the game ships.

So if Epic doesn't have the man power to make one UT3 demo for the PS3, how can they handle Unreal Engine developer support?
No Demo [Eurogamer]

"PS3 Benefitting from Gears of War"

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 02:30:33 MDT

Once again, Epic honcho Mark Rein gives a master-class in flamebait. Previously, he was going on about that groovy Blu-ray. And now? Now he's talking about how the PLAYSTATION 3 is benefitting from Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War. I'll let Rein explain. Sounds better when he says it:

Now, oddly enough, we're a little ahead on PLAYSTATION 3 compared to where we were at this time on Xbox 360, and what I mean by that is our code and our level of completeness, and that's because we have shipped a game with UE3 already. So PLAYSTATION 3 is very much benefiting from Gears of War. That sounds silly, but it's very much benefiting from Gears of War. And the point is that we're more prepared today for PLAYSTATION 3 than we were for Xbox 360 this time last year, and the engine is running a little better — we're X frames ahead with, let's not forget, a lot more polygons and a lot more materials, a lot more characters and a lot more projectiles. When you see UT, this pushes the engine a lot harder than Gears of War did.

So! If you thought Gears of War on the Xbox 360 was hot shit, wait until you see Unreal Tournament 3 on the PS3. Epic's "a little ahead," and the engine's "a little better." But the game? A LOT BETTER. Must be all those extra maps Rein is cramming in there.

In other Mark Rein news, what about claims that Silicon Knight's legal claims that Epic delivered crummy support? Epic delivers fantastic support, buster. Just ask Rein! This after the jump.

We deliver fantastic support. You just need to talk to our licensees... I don't believe anybody delivers better support than us, and, when you have a question about our engine, it's answered by the guy who made that particular thing in the engine. When you have a question about art in the game, you have all of our artists reading those questions, so we have artists that are actually making real award-winning, leading-edge, number-one best-selling games of this generation...
So if you have a question about the graphics rendering, you go right to the guy who wrote the graphics rendering, not some middle-man who's going to try and figure out the question for you. We've got a 1700-page book for Unreal Engine 3 now that's going to be published by the world's largest book publisher either this fall or winter, geared a lot at both end users and licensees because it's a how-to book for the Unreal editor. We really do a good job on support, and I think if you talk to some of our customers, you talk to Midway, you talk to Gearbox and some of these other guys, I think they'll tell you that our support is very good.

Epic's support is so good dammit, there's a book. You got probs? You can read, right? Problem solved.
Rein Interview [Eurogamer]

Epic: We Will Not Put Your Features In Our Engine

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 15:40:22 MDT

At the GC Developers Conference, both Mark Rein from Epic Games and Denis Dyack from Silicon Knights, who just happen to be involved in lawsuits filed against eachother, have carefully addressed issues related to the development of the each party's products involved. Silicon Knights claims the Unreal Engine didn't deliver on promised technology. Epic responded that it refused to endorse the "suitability" of UE3 for Too Human's needs.

Today, Rein underscored that claim with a clarification on Epic's engine building policy.

Mark Rein's answer to a moderator seeking examples of each panel members engine to meet developer's needs was that "We specifically don't do that. We feel that the best way to make an engine, and the fastest most productive way to get to a finished point— not that an engine is ever really finished, we're constantly improving on them—we feel that the way to do that is to make our game, to make the most optimized, best performing, best cross platform game you can possibly make using our technology and then licensees know exactly what they're going to get when we're done."

He added, "It's very important for us to stay focused, make the best game that we can, as soon as we can and make sure that every feature we do ship is of professional quality."

In case that wasn't clear enough, should you have a beef with the Unreal Engine's capabilities, Rein spoke directly to you, telling the crowd "We will not put your features in our engine. We're happy to advise you how to get those features in. Our door is always open, you can talk to us at any time. but we make a very clear distinction about, you know, we're making this engine for our game. Ultimately, that's what's best for us and best for our customers."

Unfortunately, it seems it might also be best served helping each party's legal team put a down payment on their new boats.

Unreal Tournament III to Have Mouse/Keyboard Support

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 21:00:12 MDT

Some gamers shudder at the idea of playing shooters with a controller. Some don't care. But for those who do, good news! Epic knows this, and Epic cares. Unreal Tournament III for the PS3 will support keyboard/mouse gaming action. Over at Epic Game Forums, company honcho Mark Rein dishes:

Folks,
I checked with Steve Polge and he said that YES we are supporting keyboard and mouse in Unreal Tournament 3 on PS3. He is confident we are doing it in a way that will be balanced without feeling "gimped" for either side. We'll also allow people to choose whether or not they want to allow mixed controller vs. keyboard/mouse games or not.
I think you guys are going to love UT3!

More details to come later.

Debate time! Controller vs. keyboard/mouse: Which will you be using to play UT3 on the PS3 and why?

Unreal Tournament III to use mouse/keyboard [UT Forums]

Mark Rein Says Consoles Retarding PC Graphics Progress

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:40:08 MDT

Epic Games VP Mark Rein recently told CVG that, despite Microsoft's efforts to push the technology, DirectX 10 won't see much in the way of enthusiastic adoption, largely because game developers will "have to dumb the games down for the consoles" making it "less and less economically viable to do the super high-end stuff." Rein expects that Crytek's first person shooter Crysis will represent the zenith of graphical fidelity for years to come. That is, whenever Crysis is actually released.

Having seen Unreal Tournament III in person again this weekend, and Epic claiming that it's building the game for two-year-old PCs, I'm going to be less concerned about the advancement in PC graphics technology at this stage. It's getting to the point where I'm having a hard time noticing the difference between something like Gears of War and UTIII, anyway. Maybe I need my old lady glasses.

Besides, we're all going to be "playing" Wii Fit with such intensity and dedication, we won't even care what any of these PC games look like, right? Guys? Wii Fit? Hello?!

Rein: Consoles put a stranglehold on DX10 [CVG]

Mark Rein - Halo 3 Shouldn't Have Shown at E3

Mark Wilson — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 10:40:50 MDT

Epic head Mark Rein, though a huge Halo fan, has been dissing Bungie's/Microsoft's decision to show Halo 3 at E3.

I think that [showing the single-player campaign] hurt Halo 3 at E3...[it] didn't win any game of the show awards that I could see....I'm sure if they'd actually had a big Halo 3 presence, if Microsoft had set up eight machines or 12 or 16 machines so you could sit and play it, it would have won all kinds of awards. But they don't need to because, like me, everyone's already placed their order... So I think that worked against them at E3.

I saw Halo 3 at E3, and would agree with Rein. There wasn't much to gain and there wasn't much shown. But the big reason Halo 3 might not have stolen every award is not directly because it wasn't playable so journalists couldn't love it enough, but because you couldn't vote on what you couldn't play*. And Bungie wasn't offering hands-ons, even in small group sessions. On a side note, I did get to touch the new Xbox. And I palmed that shit, Peter Moore style.

*Critics who requested could play the game, but there was confusion on that point even amongst the critics themselves.

Mark Rein: Halo 3 showing at E3 "hurt" Bungie's sequel [cvg]

Unreal Engine 3, Half-Baked, Broken and Late?

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:00:42 MDT

At Sony's E307 presser, Jack Tretton stood on stage, announced Epic's Unreal Tournament III as a PS3 exclusive and said that Sony was working closely with Epic to "adjust" the Unreal Engine for the PS3 so that it reaches the "best of its potential." Best of its potential? Why would Sony need to be helping with that? Doesn't that mean it hasn't been performing? That it's been under-performing? That right there is the crux of the Silicon Knights lawsuit against Epic — that Epic's aftercare and the Engine itself is half-baked. Let's take a look at the allegations:

• By March 2006, Epic was obligated to provide a fully functional Unreal Engine 3 to Silicon Knights. Epic did not until November 2006. Apparently that means SK was using an Unreal placeholder for its E306 Too Human showing>. From the suit: "Had Epic complied with its promises and contractual obligations, Silicon Knights would have had the opportunity not only to generate
a positive press and industry response to Too Human, but also to finish the game earlier and on
better financial terms." What's more, SK was "bound" to the UE3 and had to wait for Epic to finish it.

•Epic did create a working version of the Unreal Engine 3 for the Xbox 360 before E306, but kept this code to themselves. Later, Epic allegedly failed to provide guidance on how to use the Unreal Engine 3. SK claims that since Epic employs only 75 people and was working on two titles (Gears of War and Unreal III), they were spread too thin and unable to help companies like Silicon Knights. By contrast, SK employees 140 staffers focused on creating two titles.

• Epic once again supposedly missed a deadline for an Engine Silicon Knights was going to use on a PLAYSTATION 3 game. Epic missed this deadline by six-months. A functional UE3 for the PS3 was supposed to be delivered by February 2007. It wasn't.

• According to SK, the Engine apparently caused the game to "slow down significantly" due to lengthly load times and "memory-spikes" during loading. Epic apparently had known about this problem with the Unreal Engine since 2004 and promised a solution by 2005. It never came.

• SK claims that the UE3 did not "satisfy" their needs for an "immersive" experience regarding sound, lighting and character interplay. What's more, SK claims the Engine could not render terrain. To quote the suit: "Epic appears to have simply taken-in millions of dollars in license fees from Silicon Knights and other developers, and provided them in return with vastly less than the entirety of the Engine, let alone all parts of the Engine that are necessary to make a videogame function on the next generations systems as Epic warranted."

Couldn't get UE3 support from Epic? Mental images of a panicked SK honcho Dennis Dyack trying to get Epic tech support on the line, only to get some surfer type "The Cliffster is so not in" type phone message. Sure, Silicon Knights have been pointing the finger for their poor E306 showing for some time now. What's more, after reports popped up that Silicon Knights was having problems with the Engine, Dyack contradicted that saying all was fine. Though, isn't it telling that SK ditched the Unreal Engine 3 all together and created its own engine? Or how about games using the U3E have been delayed or scraped? Games like Stranglehold, BioShock, Lost Odyssey, Mass Effect, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Turok, Frame City Killer, Fatal Inertia and Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway. All delayed. Many multi-platform. It certainly does look like there is something wrong with the UE3, and this Sony tech-support highlights it. But what about those developers who've already been working with the Unreal Engine 3? I smell a possible class action suit.

We asked Mark Rein to comment on this issue. He has not replied as of posting.

Luke Plunkett contributed to this post.

Gears of War, Made Real and Stuff

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:00:38 MDT

In the latest issue of The Official Xbox 360 Magazine, costume design "commune" Nightmare Armor Studios built their own Gears of War Delta Squad — with armor and everything &mdash and showed up at Epic Games for a photo op. That's Nightmare Armor Studios founder Sid Garrand as a damn convincing Marcus Fenix. He should so do birthday's and bar mitzvahs! Next to him is Gears lead designer CliffyB, who's cosplaying as a guy with brown hair. And below that's Epic Vice President Mark Rein rockin' the khaki cargoes. Nothing says Gears of War quite like khaki pulled high. And a polo shirt. A yellow polo shirt.

If you're crafty, the OXM article also gives a run down on how to make your own Delta armor. Check it out. Brian Ashcraft

Gears of War Brought to Life [GameGrope]