Unreal Absorbs Reality News
Chris Leyton
12/05/2005
Epic Games announces the acquisition of Artificial Studios Reality Engine...
Epic Games today confirmed the purchase of the Reality Engine from Artificial Studios, alongside hiring its founder and lead engine programmer, Tim Johnson. Johnson will join the Unreal Engine 3 development team immediately, taking the opportunity to demonstrate the technology at work at E3â05.
Epic has purchased the technology outright, including all intellectual property rights, trademarks and copyrights. The US developer does not intend to continue sales, development or support for the Reality Engine, but plans to introduce its concepts into the Unreal Engine 3. Developers that have previously purchased a license to the Reality Engine will be offered an upgrade to Unreal Engine 3.0 at a significantly discounted price, and should contact licensing@epicgames.com.
âI am thrilled about joining the team at Epic Gamesâ said Tim Johnson. âIâm a long-time fan of Unreal games and technology, and I am proud to be joining a company I consider to be a world leader in both game development and next generation middleware.â
âWeâre very excited to have Tim Johnson join Epic Games,â said Epic founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney. âHe brings six years of engine development experience to the Unreal Engine 3 development team, and heâs already brimming with ideas on how to improve our technology. Tim is a great fit for Epic â“ he clearly understands all sides of the licensing business, from engineering to customer support to business development. He will have a huge positive impact on our company and our engine licensees.â
TVG will be joining up with Epic Games at E3â05 to check out the Unreal Engine 3 in action; look out for further coverage soon.