Epic Games gibt bekannt, dass die GameSpy Online-Technologie ab sofort ein fester Bestandteil der Unreal Engine 3 sein wird. Dies ermöglicht plattformübergreifende Online-Duelle zwischen PS3 und PC-Spielern.
Unter anderem wird die Technologie in Codemasters Turning Point: Fall of Liberty und in Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway aus dem Hause Ubisoft zum Einsatz kommen.
Offizielle Pressemitteilung:
[quote]GAMESPY AND EPIC GAMES ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO INTEGRATE GAMESPY MULTIPLAYER AND COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY INTO EPICS UNREAL® ENGINE 3
GameSpy to Join Epics Integrated Partners Program
BRISBANE, Calif. - August 15, 2007 IGN Entertainments GameSpy, a leader in multiplayer and online gaming technology, and Epic Games today announced a licensing deal to incorporate GameSpys suite of online technology into Epics Unreal® Engine 3, one of the industrys most popular game engines. Under the terms of the agreement, GameSpy will join Epics prestigious Integrated Partners Program, and its technology will be immediately available to any publishers or developers that license Unreal® Engine 3.
By incorporating GameSpys online technology into Unreal Engine 3, the two companies have created an integrated one-stop solution for game developers looking to leverage the worlds most advanced multi-player technology and game engine in one package. The partnership will span both the PC and PLAYSTATION®3 platforms within Unreal Engine 3, enabling seamless PLAYSTATION®3 and PC online functionality. Functionality available to Unreal Engine 3 licensees via Gamespy will include cross-platform gameplay, communication tools and competition applications.
Epic and the Unreal Engine 3 are on the leading edge of next-generation and multi-platform gaming, and we are very pleased to join the Integrated Partners Program. GameSpy is committed to working together with Epic to address a broad range of needs for the connected gamer, including multiplayer matchmaking, in-game and out-of-game messaging, persistent player communities, and competition systems, said Jamie Berger, senior vice president of consumer products and technology for IGN Entertainment. Over the past months we have fully integrated a broad suite of GameSpy online technology in Unreal Engine 3 and have built a fantastic working relationship with Epic. We look forward to extending that relationship with a number of new technologies customized for Unreal Engine 3 to be introduced over the next 12 months.
By making available many leading community tools and technologies, GameSpy will provide game developers with the opportunity to have PLAYSTATION®3 and PC users play, communicate and compete together as a single community. GameSpy technologies available to license immediately include:
GameSpy Matchmaking is a robust and flexible matchmaking system that makes it easy for gamers to find suitable opponents effortlessly GameSpys Comrade in-game middleware and desktop technology that enables seamless in-game to out-of-game community features, such as instant messaging, in-game voice communication, and friend rosters GameSpys Sake will allow developers to store data securely online, enabling gamers to build extensive player profiles and maintain game statistics GameSpys ATLAS advanced statistical system for dynamic leaderboards and tournaments within the game and on the web Future feature sets developed by GameSpy will all be incorporated into the Epic Partnership. Were very excited to welcome GameSpy into the Integrated Partners Program, said Mark Rein, Vice President of Epic Games, Inc. GameSpy is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology and has a vast amount of experience in developing rich and sophisticated multiplayer systems with community and commerce features that Epic and its Unreal Engine 3 licensees can directly benefit from. Having GameSpy integrate their technology into our engine and provide direct support for our licensees is a huge value-add for Unreal Engine 3.
In additional to providing multiplayer online features, GameSpy will also join Epic Games Integrated Partners Program (IPP). The IPP program establishes a formal business relationship with selected companies making cross-platform technologies which integrate with, and are complementary to, Unreal Engine 3. Under the IPP program Epic provides continuous Unreal Engine 3 source code access and full technical support to IPP members. Companies who join the IPP agree to provide a high level of technical support for UE3 licensees through Epic's established support channels, keep their implementations up-to-date with the latest UE3 versions, and work with Epic on potential promotional and co-marketing efforts.
GameSpy technology integration is immediately available and several developers have already licensed the integrated GameSpy technology, including Codemasters Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and Ubisofts Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway. [/quote]