unreal-engine-3 posts

Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3 game development tools just got a new buyer. The company announced today it has signed a multi-year agreement with LucasArts. The agreement is to use Unreal Engine as the basis for "multiple projects" at the developer/publisher. There is no word on which games will use the engine and financial details were not disclosed.

LucasArts has used previous versions of Epic's Unreal Engine before. The most notable use was with LucasArts' Star Wars Repubic Commando tactical shooter which was first released way back in 2005. Rumors of a sequel to that game have popped up on the net from time to time.

[Via email press release]

The Unreal Development Kit (UDK) beta, a free-to-use version of the Unreal Engine 3 development tools, has been updated with the latest updates and improvements. The April 2011 update includes a number of improvements and optimizations. For a full list of changes, visit the official website.

Download Unreal Development Kit April 2011 Beta (1.32 GB)
Check out all Unreal Development Kit related Downloads

This is a trailer that is not particularly designed for consumers. Rather, it's a showcase of all the fancy fresh features in the 2011 update to Unreal Engine 3. While most of the terminology goes straight over our heads, the trailer is quite stunning looking. Beautiful shadows, excellent textures, and details such as finely-done hair all leap out at us. So while it might not be interesting to try and learn all the technical jargon backing the new engine iteration, it's definitely pleasing to look at all of it in action.

Download Unreal Engine 3 2011 Features Trailer
Check out all Unreal Development Kit downloads
Check out all Unreal Engine 3 downloads

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.

As we reported earlier, the Houston-based game developer Pi Studios's current status is unclear. However a number of the studio's former members have already picked themselves up and along with others formed a new Houston, Texas based game development company, Category 6 Studios.

Big Download chatted briefly with the company's co-founder and president Kenn Hoekstra who told us that the studio currently has about 15 team members. Hoekstra himself is a long time veteran of the game industry. Before Catagory 6 Studios and Pi Studios he was one of the lead designers at Raven Software where he helped to make the Soldier of Fortune games, Star Wars Jedi Knight II and other titles.

The team is already working on its first game, an original title called Blackout. Hoekstra told Big Download that while the team is keeping the details to themselves for now he did reveal that Blackout is being developed as a survival horror themed first person shooter for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 using the Unreal engine. We will naturally stay in touch with the company in the months ahead.

As promised on Wednesday, the sci-fi mix of first person shooter and tower defense game Sanctum is now available for pre-order via Steam. The game from indie developer Coffee Stain Studios was first released as a free stand alone UDK-based game but will now be a full Unreal Engine 3-based title. You can purchase the game for $14.99 or get a two pack bundle for $24.99.

From now until the game's release on April 15, the prices for both Sanctum and the Sanctum two-pack are 10 percent off. Also players who pre-order the title will get instant access to the game's beta version.

Back in June 2010 Big Download posted an interview with the head of Coffee Stain Studios about Sanctum, its mix of the shooter and tower defense game genres. The team built a stand alone demo of the game using Epic Games' free UDK tools. Today Epic and Coffee Stain Studios announced that Sanctum will debut as a full stand alone commerical game on Steam.

The game will debut in a beta version on Thursday with the final version due to be released on April 15. In addition Epic announced today that Coffee Stain Studios has signed a five year agreement to use Epic's full Unreal Engine 3 technology which will be used by the commercial version of Sanctum as well as other projects.

[Via email press release]

Download Sanctum UDK Demo (323 MB)

Epic Games' Unreal Engine business just scored yet another major multi-year deal with a major publisher. This time its Warner Bros. Interactive who are paying an undisclosed amount to license the popular game development tools for all of the publisher's internal studios.

That includes UK-based development studio Rocksteady who used Unreal Engine 3 for 2009's acclaimed super hero action game Batman Arkham Asylum and will use it again for this year's upcoming sequel Batman Arkham City. The licensing deal will last until at least 2014. The engine is also the graphical basis for Warner Bros. Interactive' revival of the Mortal Kombat console fighting game series which will be released in April via developer NetherRealm Studios.

Yet another impressive looking upcoming game that uses Epic Games' free UDK game tools has been revealed. The official UDK message boards have posted up word of The Cuanatun Project from Brazil-based developer Calibre Games.

The title will be another variation of the tower defense game genre which the developer states will have "a unusual dynamic and has a very original theme." Based on the screenshots and trailers that have been released (you can check out two of the trailers after the jump) there looks like there will be a conflict between ant-like creatures with technology against some kind of robots. There's no word on when the game will be released.