IGN’s GameSpy has signed a licensing agreement with Unreal Engine 3 creator Epic Games that will incorporate GameSpy’s online multiplayer technology into the successful game engine. Licensees of the engine will be able to inject GameSpy’s multiplayer technology, such as communication tools, competition apps, matchmaking, stat tools, community features, leaderboards and future feature sets, into future releases. Mark Rein from Epic says Gamespy’s technology is a “huge value-add for Unreal Engine 3”.

The agreement will pave the way for cross-platform play between PC and PS3 versions of the game. And although GameSpy boasts that it’s got the technology to make total cross-platform play a reality, they will have to settle for this milestone while Microsoft and others catch up.

The deal means that GameSpy will become part of Epic’s Integrated Partners Program. So basically, UE3 source code and full tech support will flow back and forth between Epic and its new partner. “It makes it that much easier for developers to use our technology,” says GameSpy Technologies director Todd Northcutt.

Northcutt did not officially comment on whether or not GameSpy’s tech will be implemented for cross-platform PC to PS3 play for Unreal Tournament 3, but it’s clear that other UE3-based games, such as Turning Point: Fall of Liberty from Codemasters and Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway from Ubisoft have licensed the integrated GameSpy technology.

via Games Industry

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This entry was posted by Justin Arulnathan on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 10:15 am and is filed under Industry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.