The Unreal Engine 3 will only run on third-generation iPod Touches and the iPhone 3GS, and the demo being shown is not a fully-operable game, just a stripped-down version of Unreal Tournament.

Some elaboration from AnandTech from their meeting with Epic Games V.P. Mark Rein:

Epic isn't announcing any sort of iPhone engine licenses nor are they entering the iPhone game market. Porting UE3 to the iPhone is simply one of many projects being worked on inside a newer, more svelte and innovative Epic Games (wait till you see what's next...)... Mark said they planned to make this available to licensees at some point in the near future.

And here's a thought experiment: How about a recent Epic hit ported to the iPhone?

...eventually it wouldn't be too far fetched to see a full port of Gears of War to something as small as an iPhone. NAND Flash capacities to support multiple 9GB games will be there in another few years, as will GPU horsepower.

According to the site, Rein said that Unreal Engine 3 support will be announced for "another mobile platform" at next month's CES, the biggest tech show of the year.

Epic Demonstrates Unreal Engine 3 for the iPod Touch/iPhone 3GS [AnandTech]

"We are very excited to see the uptake of UDK cross over the 50,000 mark in only one week, and we're looking forward to seeing amazing games and applications come out of it," said Mark Rein, the vice president of Epic Games.

Rein added Epic was "thrilled" to offer the kit to schools and students and that Unreal Engine 3 would be part of their education and training in games development.

GamesIndustry.biz reported that the training firm 3D Buzz, which has already made more than 100 Unreal Technology video tutorials, will release a free tutorial series specific to the UDK.

50,000 Grab Free Unreal SDK In One Week [GamesIndustry.biz]

Outside of mod tools included in the PC versions of Gears of War or Unreal games, the only way to get your hands on Unreal Engine 3 technology for free was to date Cliff Bleszinski, and even then odds are you wouldn't be sharp enough to do anything with it. Now Epic has released the Unreal Development Kit, a standalone game development package available for free non-commercial use.

The Unreal Development Kit, or UDK, contains everything a budding game developer needs to create Unreal Engine 3-powered games. Games like Whizzle from Psyonix Studios, a game crafted in two months using a two-man team of a programmer and artist. You can see the results in the screenshot up top, or head over to the showcase page to download the game for free.

"I'm excited about the possibilities the Unreal Development Kit opens to those who are looking to get into the game business but don't otherwise have the means to acquire world-class technology and tools like ours," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "UDK is Unreal Engine 3, which has been used to create games in a wide range of genres, as well as military simulations, 3D architectural walkthroughs, animated movies and more. Users are only limited by their imaginations. Go ahead make something Unreal!"

You can download the Unreal Development Kit right now at http://www.udk.com/, where you can also find documentation, licensing terms, and a full feature listing.

The Seoul-based Epic Games Korea will sell the Unreal Engine 3 to developers in the region. The office will be headed up by Ray Park, who previously launched Microsoft's in-game advertising network Massive In. in South Korea.

Epic Games expands into Korea [Triangle Business Journal]

Now that they've managed to license their engine to just about everyone in the gaming industry, Epic is ready to bring some exciting new features to the Unreal Engine 3, which they'll be showing off at GDC next week. Features like Unreal Lightmass, which coupled with their new Swarm distributed computing framework makes adding high-quality static lighting effects 10 times faster then before. How about a new content browser and search engine, freeing developers from having to manually hunt for game assets?

"We looked at how easy it was to search the net with Google, and find photos on Flickr, and redesigned Unreal Engine 3's content searching and tagging along those lines," said Tim Sweeney, chief executive officer and technical director of Epic Games. "The result was a productivity boon for artists and designers."

They've also got a couple nifty additions in store for online developers, including the addition of Gears of War 2 scalable statistics and data management back end in the form of the Unreal Master Control Program.

"Battle-tested by over 6.8 million hours of online player time, Unreal MCP seriously ups the ante for game engines," says Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "The online infrastructure required for a modern, triple-A game represents man-years of work, and all of this is now included in Unreal Engine 3."

And for those developers who prefer their multiplayer to be massive, Epic China will be showing off their new integrated massively multiplayer online game backend solution, which should have MMO developers frothing at the mouth in joy.

In layman's terms, the Unreal Engine 3 is now even more attractive to game developers across all genres. Expect to see the logo popping up more and more with these new additions to one of the world's most popular engines.

“We’re honored to be recognized by the NCTA as an industry leader in technology,” said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. “The other nominees are trailblazers in their respective fields — for a game company like Epic to be singled out as the award winner is very flattering.” Indeed.

Epic Games Wins 2008 NCTA Award [GamersHell]

Grasshopper Manufacture Licenses Unreal Engine 3

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

TOKYO, Oct. 7 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ — Iconic Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture has licensed Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 for a new multiplatform action horror game to be published by Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS). The new game is directed by innovative game designer Suda51 and produced by legendary Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami.

"Unreal Engine 3 is a powerful, easy-to-implement game engine that is helping the creative team at Grasshopper quickly bring our vision to life," said Goichi Suda, CEO of Grasshopper Manufacture. "The innovative tools and technology in Unreal Engine 3 help developers create games faster, easier and with less risk."

"It's an honor to work with Suda-san and Mikami-san on their next project," said Jay Wilbur, Vice president, Epic Games. "Grasshopper Manufacture is one of the most daring and innovative studios in the world, and we can't wait to see what they're able to do with Unreal Engine 3.

For more information about Grasshopper Manufacture, please visit http://www.grasshoppermanufacture.com

For more information about Epic Games, please visit http://www.epicgames.com

For more information about EA, please visit our press Web site at http://info.ea.com

About Grasshopper Manufacture Inc

Grasshopper Manufacture Inc. is an independent interactive entertainment studio based in Suginami-ku, Tokyo. The studio was founded in 1998 by CEO Goichi Suda, who is known around the world for his distinctive style and innovative work as a game designer and scenario writer. To date, Grasshopper Manufacture has shipped 11 titles, including 2007's breakout hit, "No More Heroes." More information about GhM can be found on the internet at http://www.grasshopper.co.jp/

About Epic Games

Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in its Unreal series, most recently shipping Unreal Tournament 3 for PC, PLAYSTATION(R) and Xbox 360(R). Epic's breakthrough game, Gears of War, sold 5 million copies and won over 30 game of the year awards. The highly anticipated sequel, Gears of War 2, is scheduled for release on November 7, 2008. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder and three-time consecutive winner of Game Developer magazine's Best Engine Front Line Award. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through the Epic Games Web site at http://www.epicgames.com .

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA SPORTS Freestyle TM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2008, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.67 billion and had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is http://www.ea.com . More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com .

EA, EA SPORTS, EA SPORTS Freestyle and POGO are trademarks or registered trademark in the U.S. and/or other countries\ Epic, Epic Games, Unreal, Unreal Engine, Unreal Tournament and Gears of War are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Electronic Arts Inc.

Well the trial is proceeding, we feel really good about our claims, and we’re hopeful that justice will be done. We all feel really strongly that they have defrauded us, and a major portion of the industry.

The Unreal Engine is still the industry's most popular third party engine.

SK v Epic: 'Justice will be done' says Dyack [Develop]

“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.

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]