Scottish-headquartered developer Real Time Worlds, which was founded by Grand Theft Auto creator David Jones, has announced that it has obtained a studio-wide license for Epic's Unreal Engine 3 game engine, joining a long line of companies signing up to use Epic's middleware.
According to the terms of the deal, Real Time Worlds "and its affiliated companies, including Denki and Real Time Worlds Asia", have obtained the rights to use an unlimited number of Unreal Engine 3 licenses for the creation of next-generation PC and console game titles. Overall, Real Time World currently employs around 95 staff, including seven employees in the firm's Seoul, Korea office.
The first game to use Unreal Engine 3 under this agreement is All Points Bulletin for Xbox 360 and PC, the Grand Theft Auto-reminiscent massively multiplayer online game being published by Korean-headquartered firm Webzen, Inc., who also has obtained multiple Unreal Engine 3 licenses. Real Time Worlds' other announced title, the Microsoft-published Xbox 360 title Crackdown, was not specifically mentioned in the press release.
Clarifying this announcement with a Real Time Worlds spokesperson, it was explained that Denki, the small Scottish-based developer (Go! Go! Beckham, Denki Blocks, many popular UK set-top box games) has also been included under the deal, even though it is not directly owned by Real Time Worlds. However, David Jones is a director of Denki, and the deal "lets us and them keep options open for the future", according to Real Time Worlds.
David Jones, Founder and Creative Director, Real Time Worlds, commented: "We have been very impressed with the UE3 technology and design tools. It has allowed our artists to deliver the stunning visual impact they wanted, early in the project life cycle... As we build on the technology, extend it for our specific online needs, we plan to be a long term partner with Epic building projects of all sizes on many platforms."
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