Epic Showing Unreal Engine 3's Next Version Behind Closed Doors At GDC

Cary, NC-based Gears of War developer Epic Games said it will be showing the latest version of its Unreal Engine 3 tech behind closed doors at next week's Game Developers Conference. Epic said it will showcase a "completely new, high-end demo" of its widely-used engine to licensees, business partners, prospective customers and the media at the company's booth at GDC, which runs from February 28-March 4. The developer will offer UE3 presentations and demos on the half hour on each day that the GDC expo floor is open: March 2-3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and March 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Appointments with Epic are not required, but will take priority. Epic is pitching the new UE3 update as a considerable leap over what's currently available. "It’s like seeing the Unreal Engine all over again for the very first time," claimed Epic Games president Dr. Michael Capps. UE3 has been used in a large amount of games, including the Mass Effect series from BioWare, DICE's Mirror's Edge and 2K Games' BioShock franchise, to name a few. Last year, Epic also announced availability of an iOS version of UE3, used in the App Store hit Infinity Blade, developed by Epic subsidiary studio Chair Entertainment. Epic is also developing an Android version of the engine. The studio said its UE3 licensees are working on games for iOS, Android, Sony's Next Generation Portable, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC and Mac. The company is also presenting at several sessions at Gamasutra-affiliated GDC, including presentations from Epic Games level designer Jim Brown, Chair Entertainment's Donald Mustard, Epic executive producer Rod Fergusson and Epic design director Cliff Bleszinski, among others.