GAMESPY AND EPIC GAMES ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO INTEGRATE GAMESPY MULTIPLAYER AND COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY INTO EPIC’S UNREAL® ENGINE 3
GameSpy to Join Epic’s Integrated Partners Program
By incorporating GameSpy’s online technology into Unreal Engine 3, the two companies have created an integrated one-stop solution for game developers looking to leverage the world’s 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
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:
“We’re 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 Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway.
About GameSpy
GameSpy, a division of IGN Entertainment, is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology. Utilized by each of world's top ten publishers, GameSpy's technology is accessible on eight different platforms and featured in more than 500 current titles. With more than 19 million registered users, GameSpy has the tools, expertise and ingenuity to help connect gamers, induce competition, foster community and create new commerce opportunities. IGN Entertainment is a unit of Fox Interactive Media.
About IGN Entertainment
IGN Entertainment, a unit of Fox Interactive Media, Inc., is a leading Internet media and services provider focused on the videogame and entertainment enthusiast markets. Collectively, IGN's properties reached more than 30 million unique users worldwide in the month of May 2007, according to Internet audience measurement firm comScore Media Metrix. IGN's network of videogame-related properties (IGN.com, GameSpy, FilePlanet, TeamXbox, Direct2Drive and others), is the Web's number one videogame information destination and attracts one of the largest concentrated audiences of young males on the Internet. IGN also owns and operates the popular movie-related website, Rotten Tomatoes and one of the leading male lifestyle Websites, AskMen.com. In addition, IGN provides technology for online game play in videogames. IGN is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices throughout the
About Unreal Engine 3
The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and a best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 is expected to maintain those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3's new toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers' productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained at www.unrealtechnology.com.
About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in
Unreal and Gears of War are registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the