Epic... the Microsoft of engine dev?

[slapnutz]

Ok this may be old news but I was rather dissapointed that EPIC went and bought out the "Reality Engine" from Artificial Studios.

It reminded me very much of AGEIA buying out MEGON physics tech.

I was looking like that the Reality Engine was a true competitor to the Unreal engine and had several features that even the Unreal Engine 3 does not have.

Now that Epic has bought it, they predictably enough have stopped liscencing the Reality Engine. Only devs who signed up before the buyout will get to keep on using it...with limited help.

Anyway, just wanted your thoughts on the future trend for small developers and the potential of more buyouts from larger companies.

Is the Project Offset engine next on Epics list?? What does this mean regarding creative and tech competition that forces devs to make better engines than each other?

btw... for those how have no idea what the Reality Engine is/was.....

http://www.artificialstudios.com/media.php


heres a link to the buyout article from one the early licensees (sp) for the Reality Engine...

http://www.deadlyretribution.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=47

[PlayfulPuppy]

This is just a part of business.

The thing you've got to remember is that the Reality guys weren't hiding in a corner as the big mean Epic monster took their goods, it was a business agreement. Hell, I've seen plenty of business plans that normally go along the lines of:

- Make cool thing
- Get publicity
- Sell company
- Profit

It's a great way of becoming filthy stinking rich in a couple of years.

[Karthik]

Or to stay afloat.

[smattbac]

Well, according to Epic, they only wanted to hire the programmer who wrote most of the engine (Tim Johnson), and to get him over they had to buy out his/their engine.

[SyntaxN]

Epic truly wants to build their own "engine empire" and atm they´re damn successfull with it....

[Gryph]

SyntaxN said:
Epic truly wants to build their own "engine empire" and atm they´re damn successfull with it....


Seems like everyone is licensing UE3. They must be swimming in licensing fees.

[FireFly]

Unreal Wiki maintains a list of announced UE3 titles.

http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Unreal_Engine_Versions

[Nessus]

This doesn't bother me. I'm sure any good idea's they had will be incorporated into Unreal. If there gets to be a ture monopoly some young hungry team will rise up and fill the gap.

[Kristian Joensen]

Gryph said:

SyntaxN said:
Epic truly wants to build their own "engine empire" and atm they´re damn successfull with it....


Seems like everyone is licensing UE3. They must be swimming in licensing fees.



Yes but both Epic and Id, make WAY more money on selling games than on engine licensing it is much more lucrative.

[Sayantan]

FireFly said:
Unreal Wiki maintains a list of announced UE3 titles.

http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Unreal_Engine_Versions



"Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 5 and Ubi's next generation proejects - [Ubi Montreal]"

Guess what ..... Ubi's engine they made for SPC must have turned out crap in terms of next-generation. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif

Edit:- Look below in the "comments" section. What a cheap discussion. We have less-immature discussions in the 3drealms forum ... LOL. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Destroyer]

this was a might nice engine. also check out project offset. thats really nice as well.

[SyntaxN]

Sayantan said:

FireFly said:
Unreal Wiki maintains a list of announced UE3 titles.

http://wiki.beyondunreal.com/wiki/Unreal_Engine_Versions



"Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell 5 and Ubi's next generation proejects - [Ubi Montreal]"

Guess what ..... Ubi's engine they made for SPC must have turned out crap in terms of next-generation. http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/redface.gif



Yep, afaik they wanted to be completely on their own for the nextgen stuff...or they became lazy http://forums.3drealms.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif