MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
Star Wars development group LucasArts has purchased a studio-wide, long-term licence to use Unreal Engine.
LucasArts said the tech would be used on multiple projects, with new opportunities to build Unreal-powered content on mobile, PC and consoles.
The deal marks a significant shift in focus. LucasArts’ Force Unleashed series was developed after painstakingly building an internal engine. Epic’s own tech will now take priority.
Zak Phelps, director of technology at LucasArts, described Unreal Engine as “a forward-looking solution that shortens the path between inspiration and execution on a wide variety of gaming platforms.”
LucasArts is a typically keen licensee of external tech. It has rights to use the Havok physics engine, as well as Pixelux Entertainment’s Digital Molecular Matter and NaturalMotion’s Euphoria engine.
"LucasArts is now primed to capitalise on Unreal Engine 3’s ability to scale across platforms, from mobile, through PC and console all the way up to the next generation of games," said Epic Games vice president Mark Rein.
"We can’t wait to see what happens when LucasArts combines their talented workforce and amazing intellectual properties with Unreal Engine 3," he added.
