OSAKA, JAPAN (June 25, 2008) — Capcom Co., LTD., a leading developer and publisher of video games, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to license Unreal Engine 3 from Epic Games, Inc. This is the second agreement between Capcom and Epic Games on licensing Unreal Engine 3.

"Unreal Engine 3 is a perfect fit for this project being developed in Europe, and is capable of ensuring a high-quality game experience. Not only does the development team have thorough knowledge of Unreal Engine 3, the general versatility of Unreal Engine 3 will fully meet the requirements particular to this project", said Keiji Inafune, Managing Corporate Officer, R&D Management Group of Capcom. "Unreal Engine 3 comes with a wide variety of functions required for next-generation game development, and it provides ease of use. On top of that, one of the major advantages is the well-established support system. We are delighted to enter into this license agreement, and have strong backup by Epic Games. With Unreal Engine 3, we can expect high development efficiency as well as high creativity within the development team."

"We’re very excited that Capcom has, once again, chosen to use Unreal Engine 3 for one of their upcoming games,” said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games. "Capcom is a legendary company in our industry and it is an honor to be able to work with them."

“We have a team of seasoned professionals devoted to L2 project, and we are confident that by integrating our expertise and Unreal Engine 3’s excellent performance, L2 will be a top-tier MMORPG that fascinates gamers all around the world,” said John Hong, CTO of T-Entertainment.

“T-Entertainment is a well-diversified entertainment company that is poised to launch yet another successful MMORPG worldwide,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. “We are constantly improving the Unreal Engine, and look forward to providing them with cutting-edge game development tools and technology for many months to come.”

The company describes their upcoming PC game as a "futuristic fantasy with a taste of space opera" and say they're shooting for a worldwide release in 2010.

T-Entertainment Licenses Unreal Engine 3

SEOUL, KOREA – June 16, 2008 – Seoul-based T-Entertainment today announced that it has licensed Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3 for an upcoming project codenamed L2, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG).

While staying true to the roots of T-Entertainment’s previous MMORPGs, Laghaim and Last Chaos, L2 draws on elements from role-playing (RPG) and real-time strategy (RTS) games, and can be described as “futuristic fantasy with a taste of space opera.” L2 is being developed for PC, and is scheduled for a worldwide release in 2010.

“We have a team of seasoned professionals devoted to L2 project, and we are confident that by integrating our expertise and Unreal Engine 3’s excellent performance, L2 will be a top-tier MMORPG that fascinates gamers all around the world,” said John Hong, CTO of T-Entertainment.

“T-Entertainment is a well-diversified entertainment company that is poised to launch yet another successful MMORPG worldwide,” said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. “We are constantly improving the Unreal Engine, and look forward to providing them with cutting-edge game development tools and technology for many months to come.”

Game developers and publishers worldwide have licensed Unreal Engine 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since Epic has shipped its internal titles across all supported platforms, the engine's content pipeline and technical capabilities have achieved unprecedented levels of maturity and accessibility. These advancements, combined with the continual incorporation of top quality middleware via Epic's Integrated Partners Program, has primed Unreal Engine 3 as the leading offering for cross-platform game development. Through this licensing agreement, T-Entertainment will be able to take advantage of the engine’s latest enhancements, including advanced character lighting, ambient occlusion, and dynamic fluid surfaces.

"The great capabilities of Unreal Engine 3 make it possible for our developers to deliver incredible gaming experiences,” said Dave Cobb, Vice President of Development for SEGA of America, Inc. "Unreal Engine 3 provides superior power and flexibility enabling SEGA to bring original and exciting next-generation multi-platform titles."

Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what's the game Cobb? Well, Sega won't say just yet, but I can't help but wonder. It can't be the new Aliens game since that was already announced. I'm hoping it's the fourth unnamed Platinum Games title. Something that's going to be as visually sexy as it is aesthetically interesting and provocative.

Thoughts?

SEGA Purchases New Unreal Engine 3 License

SAN FRANCISCO – May 27, 2008 – SEGA® of America today announced that it has extended its relationship with Epic Games by signing a new Unreal Engine 3 licensing deal for an unannounced, cross-platform game. SEGA entered into its original licensing agreement to develop multiple titles with Unreal Engine 3 in May 2007. Details of the project in development will be released at a later date.

"The great capabilities of Unreal Engine 3 make it possible for our developers to deliver incredible gaming experiences,” said Dave Cobb, Vice President of Development for SEGA of America, Inc. "Unreal Engine 3 provides superior power and flexibility enabling SEGA to bring original and exciting next-generation multi-platform titles."

“SEGA has cultivated some of the world’s most treasured game franchises, and we are thrilled that they have decided to make more games with Unreal Engine 3,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. “Epic is committed to supporting SEGA with exceptional tools and technologies so it may continue to build upon its successes.”

Developers and publishers around the world have licensed Unreal Engine 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since Epic has shipped its internal titles across all supported platforms, the engine's content pipeline and technical capabilities have achieved unprecedented levels of maturity and accessibility. These advancements, combined with the continual incorporation of top quality middleware libraries via Epic's prestigious Integrated Partners Program, present Unreal Engine 3 as a superior offering for cross-platform game development.

Through this licensing agreement, SEGA will be able to take advantage of Unreal Engine 3’s latest technological enhancements, including dynamic ambient occlusion, destructible environments, an advanced crowd system and much more.

"Chair's stylized approach to creating games is further enhanced by their ability to stretch our technology in new directions that not only help in creating amazing gaming experiences but also demonstrate the power and versatility of the Unreal Engine," said Epic VP Mark Rein. "We are thrilled to bring the Chair team into the Epic family, and look forward to working with them to create original new games that continue to innovate and inspire."

Chair was founded in 2005, led by directors Donald and Geremy Mustard and CEO Ryan Holmes. Prior to launching Undertow on XBLA, Chair collaborated with author Orson Scott Card on its Empires property, with games and feature films planned around the novel Card wrote in 2006.

"Our team has long admired Epic for its ability to shape the game industry with its innovative technology and first-rate video game offerings," said Chair's Holmes. "We share Epic's passion for creating ground-breaking game play experiences and are excited for the opportunity to partner with a truly visionary company."

It's just a research project today. Our plan is that it will be aimed at the next generation so it is many years away.

Under the initial agreement, signed back in 2006, EA used Unreal Engine 3 on several games including Medal of Honor Airborne and Army of Two. EA is not saying which games they are currently developing using Epic's engine under this new agreement, but both companies were quick to pat each other on the backs.

"With the largest and most talented studio operation in the world, it's critical for us to give our studio teams the best tools they need to make great games," said Frank Gibeau, President, at EA. "This agreement reflects our commitment to Epic's technology which, in combination with our own cutting-edge systems, allows us to create ground breaking hits."

"Epic is committed to providing EA with the premier development infrastructure, tools and technology for its upcoming games," said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games. "We're extremely excited that EA has chosen to expand their use of Unreal Engine 3 and we can't wait to see more of the great games they will produce with it."

Any bets on which games will be getting the Unreal treatment?

Better physics and new lighting? Holy shit, yes, yes, YES. Sweeney did offer up some more meaty clues as to what's in store for the Unreal Engine 3, and thus quite possibly Gears of War 2. But we're extrapolating! Guessing! About the Unreal Engine 3's future, says Sweeney:

We can do more with networking to get more players in these games and get more complex physics working. Right now we have fairly complex vehicle interactions, but there's a lot more that can be done there. There's even more that can be done with animation—further extending the integration between the physics and the hardcode animation. We have quite an extensive system for that, but there's a lot of game-specific work that can be done for improving human characters and their interactions with the environment

Epic Talks Gears 2 [Next Generation] [Pic]

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.

"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, Development Unit, NCsoft. "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."

NCsoft Announces Unreal Engine 3 License for Two Upcoming Projects

World-renowned online game developer expands on Unreal legacy

SEOUL, KOREA (March 25, 2008) - NCsoft® Corporation, the world's leading developer and publisher of online computer games, today announced that it has reinforced its relationship with Epic Games, Inc. by licensing Unreal Engine 3 to develop two unannounced, top-tier massively multiplayer online games. NCsoft has achieved spectacular results working with the Unreal Engine over the years, shipping the highly successful Lineage® II, and the soon to be released Exteel ™, using Unreal Engine 2.

"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, Development Unit, NCsoft. "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."

"NCsoft pioneered online game development using Unreal Engine, as evidenced by Lineage II, one of the most commercially successful and enduringly popular online games in history," said Jay Wilbur, vice president of Epic Games. "We are thrilled to take this next step with NCsoft, and are fully committed to supporting their projects. We expect to be completely wowed by what they do with our latest technology."

Developers and publishers around the world have licensed Unreal Engine 3 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Since Epic has shipped its internal titles across all supported platforms, the engine's content pipeline and technical capabilities have achieved unprecedented levels of maturity and accessibility. These advancements, combined with the continual incorporation of top quality middleware via Epic's prestigious Integrated Partners Program, has primed Unreal Engine 3 as the best possible offering for cross-platform game development for years to come. Through this licensing agreement, NCsoft will be able to take advantage of the latest enhancements to Unreal Engine 3, including dynamic ambient occlusion, a fracturing tool and runtime, a realistic crowd system and much more.

There is a long life ahead for Unreal Engine 3. Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also. PCs will follow after that.

2K Games Licenses Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3

CARY, N.C. (February 12, 2008) - Epic Games, Inc., one of the world's leading developers of cutting-edge computer and video games and the pioneer of the award-winning Unreal Engine, today announced that its Unreal Engine 3 technology and tools will be used for unannounced games in development by 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO).

"2K had a very positive experience working with Epic's Unreal Engine 3 since it enables games to perform exceptionally well on both console and the PC," said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. "Epic's technology and support is expected to help 2K produce world-class titles for games on any platform."

"We are excited about continuing our relationship with 2K based on our past success with the company," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "We have no doubt that the Unreal Engine 3 will continue to assist 2K in producing the industry's most amazing and original games."

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.

Said Epic vice president Jay Wilbur, "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."

AcroGames Licenses Unreal Engine 3 For Online PC Title [Gamasutra]

LOS ANGELES—Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 technology is grabbing the attention of Hollywood producers. Once Warner Bros. Television's "Chadam" project, a 10-part, short form Internet series produced by HDFilms, appears online, Jace Hall, former game developer, Hollywood executive and technology expert believes the floodgates could open for more entertainment business.

"The bottom line is that generally speaking, for every dollar you spend on 3D you're going to get a better result out of the Unreal Engine 3 than you would from a standard package like Maya up to a certain point," said Hall, founder of HDFilms. "There's this area where if you are given $5,000 to make animation using UE3 where it will be better than what you'd get out of giving the same amount of money to Pixar to use Maya. You'd get maybe a texture. We're not trying to set a new bar for 3D, we'll leave that to the films that come out and spend $100 million. But we will bring the best 3D yet seen in short form online entertainment."

Hall and his small team of creators are laying the groundwork for what he believes will be a new way for other shows to be made. "Chadam" is the beginning of a new franchise, which could lead to other UE3 projects.

"If we successfully tell this story and it's enjoyed by people, we'll potentially be able to increase the budget and re-use the production pathways that we've created and really push the engine as far as it can go and maybe create a longer-form 3D film like a direct-to-DVD or something like that," said Hall.

Since the team is working within a videogame format, that gives them an advantage should Alex Pardee's "Chadam" migrate to gaming.

"Having all of your assets game-ready lends itself towards moving toward the game medium," said Hall. "There are some constraints because when we do render this series, we don't have to produce 60 frames per second in real-time. We'll be able to create scenes that generally wouldn't work on Xbox 360. We can construct an elaborate room that has nothing behind it. But at least we're starting with something that we know will work inside the engine and we can move forward from this when working on games."

Hall said the look of "Chadam" is only limited by its budget.

"You can't expect cinematic quality of 3D movies that are coming out today with $100 million budgets," said Hall. "You can expect a quality level that's on par with some of the more common Unreal videogames that you've seen. We're not selling this show on graphics."

As a former game creator and founder of Monolith, Hall said "Chadam" will combine the best of the game and Hollywood creative worlds.

"Part of this is a little avant gard because you're going to get a hybrid of game production and television production," said Hall. "Typically, with a game you'll capture all of your animations and then inside the Unreal Engine you'll have a character play the animation but you'll map out the pathway of him walking down the hall. In movies, you capture the entire scene with him walking down the hall and you play the whole thing in one big chunk. There's no discreet break-up like in games, which require flexibility for interactivity. The balance we're trying to do is when does it make sense to do it like a game and when does it make sense to do it like a film? We have to figure all of that out and once it's figured out it will help with future shows."

Once this new process is established, not only will additional "Chadam" opportunities arise, but HDFilms will be able to explore other entertainment ideas utilizing this new technology.

"Chadam" creator Pardee had his original plan of bringing his hero to Hollywood squashed because of technology constraints.

"Alex had always envisioned telling this story via live action," said Hall. "The problem with that is because of the nature of the content, it'd be very expensive to shoot and have it feel authentic. In some parts of his world there are fronts without backs, lefts without rights. That's difficult to shoot. When we brought Unreal Engine 3 to him, the limitation became our own imagination rather than the physicality of the camera. We can do camera movements that replicate what's done in the real world, while depicting things that could never been done in the real world."

Gamers will be able to explore the world of "Chadam" in multiple formats over the coming years.

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

He tells Gamespot that development on the Xbox 360 was harder due to the 32-person multiplayer goal and that the PS3's smaller available memory makes it challenging to develop for. Plus, SIXAXIS controls are still being balanced, adding an extra layer of development difficulty.

Halper discusses how the PS3 controller will be used in greater detail later in the interview.

Frontlines' delay is just another reminder that Epic and Sony Computer Entertainment had better be making good on their intentions to make the Unreal Engine a better fit for the PlayStation 3.

Q&A: Joe Halper on Frontlines: Fuel of War [Gamespot]

First Person 3D Engine [ActionScript Architect via The In-Between]

Citing technical issues that have "taken more time to finalize than expected", David Zucker says that the delays for each will materially affect Midway's 2007 revenue. On the plus side, Zucker says those technical issues are now "complete at a core level in our engine" and that "now that we have the systems working, looking ahead to 2008 we expect the PS3 versions of our titles to ship day and date with other versions."

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?

Who's pumped?! Personally, I'm thrilled that we're down to three letter monosyllabic game titles now. In a field that was once dominated by dull names plastered with extensive subtitles, we're entering the era of efficient succinct game naming. I look forward to a time when game titles will be reduced to nothing but a grunt or a glance or a single pointed finger at a glass display case. How far we'll have come.

Unreal Engine 3 Powered FPS 'End' (X360/PC) Announced [Worth Playing]

BCFX [Dtoid]

So what is the Black College Football Experience? As a lily white dude whose closest hands-on experience with such a thing was flipping past a FAMU game once, I'll have to wait for the PC release to find out. Based on the press release, it's apparently not only football, but halftime shows, too, as you'll "step into the boots of a drum major" for an interactive battle of the bands. Hey! I like rhythm games, too!

Far more details are available at the Nerjyzed site, but a handy press release follows.

NERJYZED ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES BLACK COLLEGE FOOTBALL VIDEOGAME: BCFx

Videogame to Showcase Classic HBCU Rivalries, Interactive Halftime Shows, Original Music and High Intensity Game Play

Nerjyzed Launched a Multi-Market Road Show Labor Day Weekend To Give Fans a Hands-on Experience with the Game

BATON ROUGE, LA - September 5, 2007 - Nerjyzed Entertainment, Inc., a privately held, African American owned digital entertainment company, announced today the launch of its new sports videogame, Black College Football Experience. An authentic, action-packed football game created using the Unreal 3.0 engine, BCFx is a cultural experience that puts players and fans into the heart of black college football. The game will be supported by a 12-week promotional road tour to HBCU campuses, Classics and homecoming games. BCFx will be available for the PC this November.

"Nerjyzed Entertainment was founded by a veteran team whose mission is to create positive interactive products for the urban market," said Jacqueline Beauchamp, chief executive officer of Nerjyzed Entertainment, Inc. "As HBCU alumni and black college football enthusiasts, we're proud that BCFx honors our rich tradition and provides an incredibly fun football game for the whole family to play."

BCFx is a sports game that captures the unique culture of the black college football experience, fusing advanced videogame design with music, and entertainment. Nerjyzed has secured an exclusive 5-year licensing agreement with three HBCU conferences including the SWAC, SIAC, and CIAA, several schools within the MEAC as well as independent HBCUs. The game features more than 40 teams, bands and mascots; interactive halftime shows; realistic stadiums; play-by-play commentary; and ten authentic Classics. For more information about BCFx, the latest game trailers, fight song ring-tones, behind-the-scenes video footage and the BCFx Road Show schedule, go to www.nerjyzed.com.

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.

We have a law team that's really fantastic and they're going to get the case out there and I am hopeful and confident that justice will be done. Besides that I really can't comment.

A lot of promises were made about the Unreal 3 Engine, particularly on PS3. But as we see now, the time frames haven't been met and now a lot of games using it are being held up.

As long time partners of Epic Games, we have nothing but respect for what they've done with their engine and the huge success of Gears of War. We have many friends at Epic and still have a great relationship with them. The truth of the matter is that Unreal Engine 3 didn't exist when we started developing Dark Sector. We had some great ideas for the next-gen consoles coming out and these ideas quickly turned into a whole development environment that revolves around the Evolution Engine now powering Dark Sector.

Ultimately, it was the right decision for us to branch out with our own technology but we know that the Unreal Engine is a great engine and expect it will continue to power many great games in the future.

Unreal Engine Criticism [CVG]

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.

Word of warning, though, PC snobs, the PS3 version supports keyboard and mouse controls, too.

The agreement will bring "seamless" PS3 and PC online functionality to games that license UE3, including matchmaking, leaderboards, instant messaging and secure player profiles and stats. Could Epic's own Unreal Tournament III be the first UE3 game to support the GameSpy tech? With UTIII snubbing Games For Windows Live, it's starting to sound like a possibility.

Massive press release after the jump.

GAMESPY AND EPIC GAMES ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO INTEGRATE GAMESPY MULTIPLAYER AND COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY INTO EPIC'S UNREAL® ENGINE 3

GameSpy to Join Epic's Integrated Partners Program

BRISBANE, Calif. - August 15, 2007 - IGN Entertainment's GameSpy, a leader in multiplayer and online gaming technology, and Epic Games today announced a licensing deal to incorporate GameSpy's suite of online technology into Epic's Unreal® Engine 3, one of the industry's most popular game engines. Under the terms of the agreement, GameSpy will join Epic's prestigious Integrated Partners Program, and its technology will be immediately available to any publishers or developers that license Unreal® Engine 3.

By incorporating GameSpy's online technology into Unreal Engine 3, the two companies have created an integrated one-stop solution for game developers looking to leverage the world's most advanced multi-player technology and game engine in one package. The partnership will span both the PC and PLAYSTATION®3 platforms within Unreal Engine 3, enabling seamless PLAYSTATION®3 and PC online functionality. Functionality available to Unreal Engine 3 licensees via Gamespy will include cross-platform gameplay, communication tools and competition applications.

"Epic and the Unreal Engine 3 are on the leading edge of next-generation and multi-platform gaming, and we are very pleased to join the Integrated Partners Program. GameSpy is committed to working together with Epic to address a broad range of needs for the connected gamer, including multiplayer matchmaking, in-game and out-of-game messaging, persistent player communities, and competition systems," said Jamie Berger, senior vice president of consumer products and technology for IGN Entertainment. "Over the past months we have fully integrated a broad suite of GameSpy online technology in Unreal Engine 3 and have built a fantastic working relationship with Epic. We look forward to extending that relationship with a number of new technologies customized for Unreal Engine 3 to be introduced over the next 12 months."

By making available many leading community tools and technologies, GameSpy will provide game developers with the opportunity to have PLAYSTATION®3 and PC users play, communicate and compete together as a single community. GameSpy technologies available to license immediately include:

* GameSpy "Matchmaking" is a robust and flexible matchmaking system that makes it easy for gamers to find suitable opponents effortlessly
* GameSpy's "Comrade" in-game middleware and desktop technology that enables seamless in-game to out-of-game community features, such as instant messaging, in-game voice communication, and friend rosters
* GameSpy's "Sake" will allow developers to store data securely online, enabling gamers to build extensive player profiles and maintain game statistics
* GameSpy's "ATLAS" advanced statistical system for dynamic leaderboards and tournaments within the game and on the web
* Future feature sets developed by GameSpy will all be incorporated into the Epic Partnership.

"We're very excited to welcome GameSpy into the Integrated Partners Program," said Mark Rein, Vice President of Epic Games, Inc. "GameSpy is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology and has a vast amount of experience in developing rich and sophisticated multiplayer systems with community and commerce features that Epic and its Unreal Engine 3 licensees can directly benefit from. Having GameSpy integrate their technology into our engine and provide direct support for our licensees is a huge value-add for Unreal Engine 3."

In additional to providing multiplayer online features, GameSpy will also join Epic Games' Integrated Partners Program (IPP). The IPP program establishes a formal business relationship with selected companies making cross-platform technologies which integrate with, and are complementary to, Unreal Engine 3. Under the IPP program Epic provides continuous Unreal Engine 3 source code access and full technical support to IPP members. Companies who join the IPP agree to provide a high level of technical support for UE3 licensees through Epic's established support channels, keep their implementations up-to-date with the latest UE3 versions, and work with Epic on potential promotional and co-marketing efforts.

GameSpy technology integration is immediately available and several developers have already licensed the integrated GameSpy technology, including Codemasters' Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and Ubisoft's Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway.

About GameSpy

GameSpy, a division of IGN Entertainment, is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology. Utilized by each of world's top ten publishers, GameSpy's technology is accessible on eight different platforms and featured in more than 500 current titles. With more than 19 million registered users, GameSpy has the tools, expertise and ingenuity to help connect gamers, induce competition, foster community and create new commerce opportunities. IGN Entertainment is a unit of Fox Interactive Media.

About IGN Entertainment

IGN Entertainment, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc., is a leading Internet media and services provider focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN's properties reached more than 30 million unique users worldwide in the month of May 2007, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN's network of videogame-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others), is the Web's number one videogame information destination and attracts one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet. IGN also owns and operates the popular movie-related website, Rotten Tomatoes and one of the leading male lifestyle Websites, AskMen.com. In addition, IGN provides technology for online game play in videogames. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices throughout the U.S. and in Montreal.

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 multiple media outlets including Gamespot and Gamepro. 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 TM" by Ubi Soft; 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 http://www.epicgames.com.

Unreal and Gears of War are registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

"PLAYSTATION" is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

- Silicon Knights originally wanted Epic to endorse the "suitability" of their engine for Too Human, Epic refused

- Silicon Knights has used Unreal 3 Technology in their own "Silicon Knights Engine"

- Silicon Knights has used UT3 technology with a new Sega partnership without further license

This is, at its core, one of the simplest contract disputes. Party A promised to deliver a good in form X, and Party B alleges that good arrived in form X-1 and Party A never fulfilled their contractual agreement.

Assuming Silicon Knights can show that Epic neglected the licensees in order to work on Gears, the Gears profits will become some measure of damages. While it seems unlikely Silicon will receive all of the profits they demanded, a substantial award for Silicon would not be out of the ordinary.

Silicon Knights v. Epic: The Unreal 3 Engine Case [lawofthegame]

America's Army for arcades will focus less on the shooting of terrorists or insurgents and will instead consist of a series of eight mini-games that emulate real-life Army training exercises. Sounds not too dissimilar from P&P Marketing's popular Police Trainer series of arcade games, no?

The game is assumed to be built on the PC version of America's Army which also runs on the Unreal Engine. Global VR has a number of PC game products repurposed for arcade play, including Paradise Lost based on Far Cry, Desert Gunner based on the (awful) Beach Head series as well as EA Sports brand titles.

Global VR to Deploy America's Army at AAMA Gala [Arcade Renaissance via GameSetWatch]

I was personally wondering what the agreement between Epic and Sony to refine the Unreal Engine on the PS3 really meant. Fortunately, GI's Billy Berghammer asked the man who would know best. Phil says:

If we're honest, we didn't do enough of a good job supporting [Epic Games] and getting them the tools and technology early enough. Also, Epic isn't a huge company. They don't have unlimited resource. We have parachuted in some of our SWAT team of super engineers to help them. Specifically, to optimize for SPUs, which are the point of difference that the Cell Processor has. That process is under way. The benefits that it yields to end developers whether they're writing exclusive titles or multiplatform titles is that the performance on PS3 goes up exponentially, and it will make for a much better game experience.

Great! But what follows is even more interesting. When asked about Epic not "[having] their tech up to speed" with developers "waiting for updates", Phil responded to the announcement as an admission that "It's going to get fixed, it's going to get better?" with:

Yes, I think that's a fair summary. We know that there are a lot of developers who are using the technology, so this is a significant impact for the industry.

Granted, this was in relation to multiplatform games built on the Unreal Engine, something that Silicon Knights' Too Human needn't have worried about. But does this lend credibility to the claim that Epic was not providing proper support to its clients licensing UE3?

A Conversation With Phil Harrison [Game Informer]

• 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.

According to the suit, which seems more than $75,000, Epic Games misrepresented the abilities of their Unreal Engine 3 when selling the license agreement to Silicon Knights. The suit says that Epic failed to "provide a working game engine" to Silicon causing them to "experience considerable losses."

The developer was rumored to be experiencing problems with the Unreal Engine platform last summer, but later denied speculation it was dropping the platform and commented that the game was still "progressing very well." Silicon Knights eventually decided to drop the Unreal engine and instead build their own, according to the suit.

Silicon also claims that Epic has been "sabotaging" Silicon Knights efforts to make a game by using the money earned from their licensing deals to make their own games rather than to provide support for their engine to Silicon and other licensees.

Update: In a nutshell, SK claims that Epic used a slicker version of their Unreal Engine for Gears of War and released a hamstringed version to SK and others, in order to show them up at E3. They also failed to release the Gears version until much more recently, SK claims. They also claim that Epic made several very specific statements about what the engine could do, but which it was never able to deliver on including the number of on-screen characters and lighting effects.

The suit is based on a dozen causes of action including fraud, negligent misrepresentation, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economi