Epic (2)

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.

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Epic Games have filed a motion to dismiss the Silicon Knights suit, and filed a counterclaim stating Silicon Knights were aware that “the Unreal Engine 3 may not meet its requirements and may not be modified to meet them.”

The suit goes on to say:

Indeed, the plain language of the Silicon Knights’ Complaint makes clear that Silicon Knights wants to take Epic’s Licensed Technology, pay nothing for it, and use it any way it pleases.

Epic is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages, the destruction of infringing goods, including infringing computer code, and attorney’s fees and costs” totalling $650,000.

Silicon Knights’ attorney Chris Holland told GameDaily.biz:

We don’t think Epic’s counterclaim has any merit […] We believe strongly that our claims in our complaint will prevail and the damages Silicon Knights has suffered in connection with its original complaint are vastly more, millions of dollars more than what Epic claims its damages are in its counterclaim. They’ve set forth $650,000 and our claims will dwarf that substantially.

So what does this all mean to you? Not much. Holland insists Too Human will not be affected at all by the on-going legal shenanigans regarding its development - “we are back on track and this game is going to come out in a timely fashion.”

via Joystiq

Phil Harrison has admitted Sony could have done a better job helping Epic Games get their Unreal Engine 3 playing nice with the PlayStation 3. The backup has arrived, in the form of a team of Sony engineers who will help Epic optimize UE3 for the Synergistic Processing Units (SPUs) of the Cell processor that powers the PS3. This means better performance from the same code - which is a win for developers and gamers alike.

If we’re honest, we didn’t do enough of a good job supporting them 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 optimise for SPUs, which are the point of difference that the Cell Processor has.

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,

said Harrison in a recent interview with Game Informer.

Epic have released 12 new hi-res screenshots of Unreal Tournament 3, and boy are they gorgeous. Click the image to view the gallery, or view the equally gorgeous E3 trailer after the jump.

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Silicon Knights have filed suit against Epic Games, in a dispute over the licensing of Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 for use in their upcoming Xbox 360 title, Too Human. The suit reads,

Rather than provide support to Silicon Knights and Epic’s other many licensees of the Engine, Epic intentionally and wrongfully has used the fees from those licenses to launch its own game to widespread commercial success while simultaneously sabotaging efforts by Silicon Knights and others to develop their own video games.

Turns out Epic promised licensees a functional engine six months after the Xbox 360 dev kits were released, giving them until March 2006 to deliver. It was November by the time Silicon Knights saw anything resembling a functional game engine, causing extensive delays in the development of Too Human. During the same period, Epic managed to complete their own Gears of War, and take “Best Game in Show” with their impressive demo at E3 in May 2006 - using the very same engine they failed to deliver to Silicon Knights.

Read the full, juicy story at Gamasutra.

In a recent interview with Gametrailers.com, Epic VP Mark Rein delivered some great news to Mac gamers - confirming the release of Unreal Tournament 3 on the Mac, and announcing a completely unexpected port of the Xbox 360 smash hit Gears of War.

via Macworld