silicon-knights posts

Epic Games defends against Silicon Knights charges

by John Callaham Apr 2nd 2011 @ 9:00PM

Earlier this week it was reported that the long-in-development court case between developers Silicon Knights and Epic Games had now been cleared to go to a jury trial. While Silicon Knights' head Denis Dyack has tried to claim that this is a victory for his side, Epic Games has now come out with its own statement on the matter.

Silicon Knights claims that Epic Games committed fraud in licensing Epic's Unreal Engine 3 game development software. Epic's statement, as posted on VG247.com, says that the court rejected a number of Silicon Knights' claims, including that Silicon Knights "could cancel its license agreement, that Epic interfered with its contractual relationships with publishers, and that Epic acted unjustly under the license." Epic's statement added that it, "remains confident that it will be fully vindicated at trial."

Filed under: Biz

Unreal Engine lawsuit by Silicon Knights to move forward to trial

by John Callaham Mar 31st 2011 @ 1:00PM

It's been a while since developer Silicon Knights filed a lawsuit against Epic Games claiming that Epic didn't adequately support its Unreal Engine game development technology while Silicon Knights used it to develop the Xbox 360 action game Too Human. Now Kotaku reports that the lawsuit, first filed in 2007, has moved into a new phase as a federal court has agreed to allow the case to go to a jury trial.

While Epic Games has not commented publicly on this new development Silicon Knights' head Denis Dyack did state, "This ruling will allow us to have our day in court, before a jury, and to shine the light publicly on Epic's conduct." Despite the lawsuit, Epic Games has continued to sign tons of game developers and publishers to license Unreal Engine 3 and in 2009 released a free version of the engine, the Unreal Development Kit.

Filed under: Biz

Dyack confident in legal battle against Epic Games

by Xav de Matos Aug 18th 2008 @ 4:00PM

In an interview with Develop, Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack broke his silence regarding the legal battle his company is tangled in with developer Epic Games.

"The trial is proceeding, we feel really good about our claims, and we're hopeful that justice will be done," Dyack commented to Develop. "We all feel really strongly that they have defrauded us, and a major portion of the industry."

In July 2007, Silicon Knights filled a lawsuit against Epic Games - developers of Gears of War - alleging that the developer's Unreal Engine 3 code was inadequate and has "caused serious damage to not only Silicon Knights, but a number of other developers in the industry," as reported by GameDaily. In August of the same year, Epic Games filled a counterclaim stating that Silicon Knights had copied its technology when a new engine was developed for Too Human.

It appears the heated battle rages on and considering the amount of licensees Epic Games has for its Unreal Engine 3 tool set the outcome could largely impact the games industry.

[via GameDaily]

Filed under: Biz

Too Human to PC?

by David Craddock Jul 22nd 2008 @ 6:00PM

Though mostly conjecture at this point, a perhaps overly-speculating Kotaku writer believes a PC version of Silicon Knights' Too Human, an action game developed for Xbox 360 action game, may eventually find its way to Windows desktops.

Kotaku examined the OFLC's (Office of Film and Literature Classification) database and unearthed two ratings for Too Human: the first, dated May 30, was rated MA 15+; the other, dated June 18, carries a slightly less harsh rating of M. Upon contacting Microsoft, Kotaku learned that "each rating is indeed based on a different build."

More interesting is the "Multiplatform" classification tagged to each of the rated versions. Because Silicon Knights is contracted to develop Too Human exclusively for Microsoft, a PlayStation 3 version of the game is unlikely. Might a PC version be on the horizon?

Filed under: Biz, Action, RPG