In a recent interview with TG Daily, Tim Sweeny has revealed that Epic Games are targeting Unreal Engine 4 on next-generation consoles — with any PC version that is made being a port. Sweeny is quoted:
Version 4 [of the Unreal engine] will exclusively target the next console generation, Microsoft’s successor for the Xbox 360, Sony’s successor for the Playstation 3 - and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also. PCs will follow after that.
The good news for modders is that as the Playstation 3 version of UE3 is modable, UE4 on the PS4 most likely will be as well (assuming Epic decide to support the console). Whether or not the next Xbox console will follow Sony's lead and allow modding is unclear however, with UE4 a potential competitor to XNA, Microsoft's own cross-platform enthusiast development kit.
Thanks to Rock, Paper, Shotgun for the tip!
Can't say I'm going to miss their games, but this must be a blow to everyone who mods them. The tools will still work on PC of course, but the games just won't be there...
not really a surprise
be interesting to see how this effects licensees though. Given how popular UE has become this might have a large effect on the rest of the industry too.
Hopefully, the more that commercial companies focus on consoles, the more encouragment there will be for independant PC dev's. Who knows
Yeah, while this may have some saying this is bad for modding, mod teams are having enough troubles coping with the complexity of development pipelines as it is. In the end, Epic and other big companies that look away from the PC platform to maximize profits are only going to leave a hole that independent devs will be more than happy to fill. I'd be OK with that.
I agree...but I do feel that Epic are being a bit weird...
I don't have an argument against the PC and console markets diverging. The PC will always be better for user generated content, it's where the tools are and the talent is. Valve understands PC content is a legitimate business niche for them.
also, go see this article:
Forums.sinsofasolarempire.com
As true as that is, I don't think piracy affected UT3 much, since it is primarily a multiplayer game, and is nearly impossible to play online without a legal copy.
Oh trust me it did. Cracked Servers, cracked game. Yes, I'm sure of it.
I'd read this if I were you...
Tweakguides.com
That sucks. :(
Seems to be an trend as well, and that sucks even more.
Hope ID (and Valve) keep their engines on the right side.
Indie devs maybe will fill the void with their engines, but the question is if quality will be as good as the other engines.
OGRE and Infinity Engine, etc. looks promising, tho.
id software aren't going to quit making stuff for the PC.
Neither will valve, Steam is PC software and that won't change as sony and microsoft run their own digital distribution systems on the consoles, they won't allow 3rd parties.
Wow. First assault mode and now this. Epic Mega Fails!
Epic lost the last bit of credibility with that. First a main coder shouts out in public that PC development sucks and should die and then this move. Bad Epic. You just showed once again that you went from a great company to a sucker-bucket U_U
"...and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also."
God, please don't let it happen.
I guess i wont miss the games.... ill miss all wonderful games using the best of the engines out there... best graphics barely any requierments
It's pretty obvious that they've made their assumption based on the high sales of Gears of War and UT3's console versions versus the low sales of Gears of War and UT3 on the PC.
What they obviously have failed to recognise, is just how many developers are using their engine and targeting the PC platform - many exclusively. You're not going to sell many licences if you can't sell to the biggest share of the market Sweeney.
I also have to wonder what Epic think they're doing in the PC Gaming Alliance, if they're aiming to drop PC support in their next engine.
Epic as a company is just full of contradictions right now, none of the leading voices seem to be agreeing on anything.
Epic passed from being a community-driven developer, to a money-***** "corporation".
I swear that if they had listened more to the community, UT3 would've turned out to be a better game, thus making sales go higher.
It just shows how people are tired of seeing an old formula over, and over again, plus it being worse with each generation (UT2k4 being the exception, in this case). Even though it was announced yesterday that UT3 had reached the millionth sale, I don't expect it to break the second millionth sale-barrier any time soon.
Both Valve and id are pushing the mod community out there as much as they can, with all kinds of features and innovations in their games, all while being open and understanding, is making them a lot of money. Valve couldn't be doing better without Steam, and id's decision to include their catalog on it was an incredibly smart decision, and one that's making their profits go up.
If, and only if, you, as a developer/game company, trust your fans, costumers, and the community itself, you'll see a much, much better outcome on what you do.
Shame Valve's source code is terrible, though... :p
Epic has the most powerful tools in any engine I've seen, making this announcement just sad more than anything.
Same formula over and over again? Try EA.
Just look at it - they release a game and then make 50000 addons, each 20-50 USD each...
Want a proof? Look at Sims 2 - there's TONS of <name> Stuff... And to think that people are stupid enough to buy all that.
Or basically any sports game - NBA 06, NBA 07, NBA 08... They should have released it every 2 years or something, and just update the roster in the meantime... and/or make FREE addons which update graphics (just like Eve Online has done - you got normal version and "premium" version, both are free... No, Eve is NOT an EA game)
Another proof is Battlefield series.
Honestly, how much difference is there between BF1942, BF2142, BF: Vietnam, BF2...?
If you want modern time, instead of getting BF2, just get Desert Combat for 1942.
Okay, the graphics are better, I'll give them that... But there isn't much new.
This is a big middle finger towards the people who made EPIC who they are. Way to stab us all in the back.
CHECK FACTS CHECK FACTS CHECK FACTS!
I don't understand how UE4 will be a competitor to the XNA framework. One's a game engine, the other is a game development framework.
They would both allow hobbyists to create their own games on an otherwise closed console platform. One creates revenue and prestige for Microsoft, the other for Epic.
That's the _only_ area that they're competitors. They're two very very different creatures and so shouldn't be compared in the "PS3 Vs Xbox 360" sense.
They *aren't* being compared PS3 vs. 360...
According to interviews conducted by staff at Xleague.tv (Game60 News on Pulse, Sky Channel 208) and press releases from Microsoft and Sony, next-Gen Consoles aint gonna be on the market until around 2010, maybe 2011..!
A lot can change within 2 or 3 years and let's hope it does! Cos this move to target Consoles as a priority for the next gen engines is a bit of a bad and soon to become a seriously, seriously bad move! Hopefully Epic will wake up to that fact sooner rather than later!
I'm going to say one thing...Sweeney is an idiot, I like how he started Epic Games based on the PC platform and then when he finds he can make more money on the console he's like "Oh, I don't care about PC's, they aren't made for games, let me get a more expensive car and start catering to the consoles" (in case you didn't know he owns a Ferrari F430 and a Lamborghini Diablo...those cars are most likely funded by PC Game sales since they didn't start delivering games for consoles until recently.
So I think he should rethink his priorities because he really has them messed up.
It does sound a little bit of a shame. But it seems likely to be a few years away, so who knows what will be avaliable at that time.
UT3 was a massive disappointment for the PC crowd because it was geared toward consoles and their gamers.
It's obviously where the money is at the moment, in terms of game dev - consoles. Every slack-jawed yokel and his 11 siblings can plug in a Wii, 360 or PS3 and play a game. PC games are more complicated to get running, and the PC itself is often seen as an enigmatic magic box. This fact, coupled with the declining piracy rates on consoles (due to the online services) AND the ease of development (don't need to make games run on hodge-podge hardware) it's a very attractive platform for devs to work on - Bigger market to sell to, easier to develop for.
Unfortunately, this means that classic series such as Unreal Tournament, once loved because of their ample customization and great mod support, will be going the way of Halo - simplified, console-targeted gameplay.
Begone, Epic Games. Take your once-great series with you, and leave us in peace. Your dedication to the fans appears to have mutated over the years, and turned into something ugly. Unreal Engine 4 will likely just produce brown screens anyway, with the way you're going.
Ewww, consoles are so much worse for shooters, this is ridiculous.
Indeed, what a retarded move, they always play so damned awkwardly on consoles.
I find it better on consoles, it's a more tight control scheme. Your fingers must be very long to play on some of the more complex shooters.
You mean, brutally simplified control scheme, right. Either that or so many button combos you could never remember..
UT3 was a real dissapointment, so this news really doesn't matter much.
this just makes it easier for valve to take over the mod scene...
Just paves the way for steam to become the new unreal of pcs...
Last I heard Orange Box was on Console too - I somewhat doubt that.
That doesn't mean it's leaving the PC.
Orange Box as on console... I remember seeing the PS3 version in the local store. Even though I do own a PS3, I still prefer PC. I've always had. PC FTW!
Which is sad, really, because the Source engine isnt nearly as easy to work with as the Unreal engine, and also, the PS3 has very pitiful mod support (no custom sounds, and limited model support), so, shame on epic for screwing over their largest asset, the modders/future liscencees.
Also, do remember that 90% of independent companies will be LISCENCING other engines, and not building new ones from scratch to save on development time (all the Call of Duty games are based of Quake 3).
Which is why hopefully Valve is smart enough to make source easier to code. I look forward to our valvian overlords.
So, no "Make Something Unreal" this time.
I think one thing people tend to be forgetting is that mods can be played on consoles for certain games. Through Microsoft's XBLA and such amateurs are able to put their mods on consoles as well as PC.
So I really don't see this as a bad move. This way they can optimize the engine to a point that was not possible before with that huge grey area hat PCs have where the hardware is not a known.
Expect to see some amazing performance and graphics. Only bad thing is the lack of Dx10 on consoles right now.
I disagree on amazing performance.
The console development pipeline... it's just terrible. Consoles are so limited in power and are so awkward in development (CELL Processor is not 8 cores, it's 1 processing core with 7 cores that distribute data. Not a good move.)
Modders in order to pull of something amazing will have to work twice as hard, and as if they didn't work hard already.
This sucks, PC gaming truly is dying since Epic were the ones that built most of it in the first place. Its not good seeing this happen. It seems more likely that we'll be playing games on consoles from now on and making them on PCs or Macs. Of course PS3 does have Linux so we might see a lot less PC developers in the future as people could quite easily buy a cheap console and use that as a development platform. It sucks but I think its likely. All Microsoft has to do is release an Xbox that has both Windows OS and A Keyboard Mouse function with the ability to play PC games and install them, and then RIP PC gaming.
We only have to look at what Bootcamp did for Macs and then you can see exactly what the next-gen consoles will be aiming for because PS3 already tried it, succeeded and now I suspect everyone will jump on that. Game Over guys :(
I don't like where the industry is going.
It's not because the Indies are going to deliver the game engines that the big players are withdrawing from PC market. Would be funny if they suddenly notice how their license are not bought anymore since Indies fill the gap they produced. In fact I'm rather positive that this is going to happen.
"This sucks, PC gaming truly is dying since Epic were the ones that built most of it in the first place."
Hahah, what?
to Totally_tonedef:
No they do not, If you had been reading what i said, the support for mods on consoles is either ****** or non-existent, moreover, how does epic expect people to mod if the only games avalable are on consoles. They would have to either buy(noone would) an SDK for PC, OR get a free download, but then again if Tim Sweeny's golden age of consoles ever occurs and we never have to play on our PC's again, no hardware will be made for PCs so how in gods name can we expect to run the editor, let alone in real time. Moreover, if we do mod on PCs then port to our consoles to play, how in ***** name are supposed to PLAYTEST?!? Wait for an hour for the PS4 cook to complete, transfer via flashdrive of wi-fi the cooked mod files, and then we can try out our code tweak? Its bad enough waiting for compile times for UScript on PC alone, suffice to say, if there is no PC support, Epic can count me out of ever licsencing their engine.
Last point: the XBLA sucks, admit it, geometry wars is the only thing there (pretty much) and the XBox version of UT3 does NOT have mod support because of MS's current system which does not allow for mods on existing games.
This is a very valid point. PC Games development has always been the driving factor in PC hardware development. If PC Games are to slump, so will hardware. Consoles don't drive hardware sales, because there's only ever one configuration. If PC Games aren't the market, what's going to happen in terms of hardware? How is the next generation of consoles going to sell, if it can't lean off the back of the upgrades in technology made in PC hardware over the five year run it had?
(buried)
Meh... I don't care.
Nice input
Thanks. My point was, we don't need Epic.
haha nice reply ;D