Square Enix licenses Unreal Engine

Final Fantasy developer to use Epic Games' popular middleware in future next-generation releases on consoles, PCs, and online games.

Tokyo-based Square Enix today announced that it has signed up Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for use in its future next-generation console, PC, and network releases.

The company has traditionally used its own proprietary technologies, which it adapts for each of its titles. But now, to "ensure both game quality and development efficiency," it will build a new technology platform that will be used companywide and will introduce third-party middleware--including the latest version of the Unreal Engine.

Square Enix's research and development division general manager, Taku Murata, commented, "The complexity of next-generation game systems featuring HD graphics and multicore parallel processing poses a number of technological challenges to our game development. However, we can expedite our game development process significantly while allowing extra time and resources to be spent on game design and mechanics by establishing an effective technology platform."

It is not yet known which Square Enix titles will be using Unreal Engine 3. Square Enix joins a long list of developers using the popular middleware, including Electronic Arts, Midway Games, BioWare, THQ, Gearbox, Silicon Knights, and more.

169 Comments

  • magrappy

    Posted Feb 7, 2007 6:30 am PT

    This engine takes up too much disk space and gives lazy developers the right to make small games because it looks good and thats all people care about now. Like Gears of War.

  • dragonwiz0d

    Posted Jan 30, 2007 2:02 pm PT

    hi

  • Lumenadducere

    Posted Jan 29, 2007 12:01 am PT

    As long as the end result is of good quality, I really don't think it's an issue.

  • Sonicgod

    Posted Jan 28, 2007 3:18 pm PT

    Unreal Engine 3 is way better tool set than anything they could make anyway period.

    In fact I would say unreal engine 2 is way better than any code they have made to date.

    There multiplatform games are always horrible bug filled mess on what ever the code is not written for,.

  • E-MaCk

    Posted Jan 28, 2007 2:32 pm PT

    so all the new games are gonna look/play the same, pretty much.

  • FiddleStick

    Posted Jan 28, 2007 1:28 pm PT

    i think i see the next big trend in game development forming. pretty soon i dont think devs will even bother with creating proprietary engines for their games. since game development is becoming more time and financially consuming for development companies i think we will see more and more of them licensing 3rd party engines just to save themselves time if nothing else. i wouldnt be surprised to see whole new companies pop up that will focus solely on 3rd party engine development to sell to the big name game devs out there.

  • V-Nine

    Posted Jan 28, 2007 9:55 am PT

    Very FEW companies can pull off good results using someone elses engine. If SquareEnix dont heavily polish said engine the looks could be disaterous. But I can see it now Final Fantasy Warrior: Dragon Fragest. Cool. Also finally Final fantasy Spirits within will finally be a video game! Finally! heheh

  • ShuuMutou

    Posted Jan 27, 2007 10:49 pm PT

    What on earth is an engine? I don't get it

  • RaiKageRyu

    Posted Jan 27, 2007 4:04 pm PT

    I'm kinda peeved. It just means they don't want to do their own work.

    Lazy Squeenix.

  • anamnawshad

    Posted Jan 27, 2007 6:43 am PT

    Pwnage for GeOW haters....

  • Kravyn81

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 11:34 pm PT

    They call this sort of move "jumpin' on the bandwagon"

  • Orasion_Seiz

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 10:19 pm PT

    They are still going to use the white engine on FFXIII. The unreal engine will be use for future projects like future FF games or KH3.

  • stlthriot

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 8:54 pm PT

    Please... no FPS crap... use the engine for something sweet, if that is possible

  • chibi-acer

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 5:48 pm PT

    Umm...yay, I guess.

  • peacenutman

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 3:44 pm PT

    What about the WHITE engine? They gonna scrap that?

  • diablobasher

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 1:17 pm PT

    I don't see what the big deal is, nor the reason for sparking a race debate.

    Companies purchase middleware all the time, it's a good thing, so deal with it.

  • NandoSupes

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 11:13 am PT

    I dont really see what the big deal is with this, I mean Square Enix is just probably looking to expand their repertoire,of course they have their own engines,this is Square Enix ,they are not just going to buy the license for the Unreal Engine for nothing. they are just too smart for that,nothing wrong with expanding your development resources, thats all it is,more power to them. we"ll see what games they develop with the engine.

  • terrabreak13

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 11:06 am PT

    You can't judge what SE games will look like based on other UE3 projects in the past. The tool is very flexible and will reflect the japanese style. For those saying that it will not be used for FFXIII how can u be so sure. They wouldn't license a complete new engine for their lesser titles. It has to be something big. We already know that DQIX is going to DS so this leaves their more realistic looking games. I know for sure it will be used for a MMO.

  • MangyForestCat

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 10:44 am PT

    That plus Unreal Engine > Source Engine.... TAKE THAT HALF LIFE 2!

  • cjcr_alexandru

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 9:48 am PT

    Interesting opinion, ObiKKa.

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 8:43 am PT

    I think the US government should put Epic on the list of possible companies to insure in case they become bankrupt, however very unlikely this is. Because if Epic were to struggle financially, & being unable to release a robust engine on time & periodically in the future then this would have a cataslysmic effect across the top-end commercial side of the game industry!

  • ObiKKa

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 8:21 am PT

    Orasion_Seiz "3 words: Kingdom Hearts 3."

    Yes! I so totally agree!

    It's so obvious - they're going to make the newer Kingdom Hearts games for both PS3 & Xbox 360, coz it has no fluffy CGI movies. You can't deny it, Sony fanboys!

  • SaitouZero

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 8:08 am PT

    Square has its own White Engine for PS3, so I'm guessing that the Unreal Engine 3 is probably for PC and/or 360. My guess is that they want to use it for their next crossplatform MMORPG.

  • Cloud737

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 6:30 am PT

    I hope they`ll still make their own engines in their games, even if they already bought the unreal engine.
    Square is really known for producing games with great graphics that run unbelievably well on consoles, so I don`t see why they need to get a new engine. They can make a better engine than the ones they buy with ease.
    I hope this doesn`t let to a down-side with Square games.

  • Orasion_Seiz

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 6:06 am PT

    3 words: Kingdom Hearts 3

  • mk_2

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 3:11 am PT

    I think they are more on PC market than 360.
    It might also be an insurance for Square-Enix if PS3 lose next-gen war. They can shift to another platform with ease.

  • angelic

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 2:21 am PT

    Maybe the engine is meant for xbox360 console game.. Square Enix announce that they won't only be developing games for Sony but also for microsoft and nintendo. I also doubt if they use Unreal Engine for FF series, its just not right. For now, it remains a mystery..

  • Heri012

    Posted Jan 26, 2007 1:37 am PT

    This news has nothing to do with FF series...I don`t understand why 360 fanboys so happy....FF series will be using White engine not Unreal Engine and it only could be done with PS3 hardware.....So keep dreaming 360 fanboys....SILLY NERD PEOPLE...

  • CyphenX

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 10:38 pm PT

    Wow, big BIG move.

  • cobrax80

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 10:07 pm PT

    their games will look good as or even better than gears of war now

  • DesRed

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 10:03 pm PT

    This is the first time I've heard Square-Enix licensing a middleware to develop their games, let alone the Unreal Engine 3. I thought they were pretty capable of developing their own game engine? Oh well, game development these days are very expensive so licensing a middleware will really save a lot of time and money on more important things like game design and mechanics.

  • chikahiro94

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 8:36 pm PT

    Wow - very few "the developers are lazy" and "not another shooter" posts - looks like the tired, old, cliche'd fears and misunderstandings are dying out.

    Have you guys seen XIII, Exteel, or Lineage II? They all use Unreal, and they're quite good looking (or stylized, in XIII's case). I can hardly wait to see what Square makes with UE3

    (edit: Whoops! Aion will be using the CryENGINE, not Unreal)

    @getoconnection
    "Makes it that much easier to cross platform. There goes more Sony exclusives. Poor Sony fanboys."

    Well, they could go to the PC just as easily too - cross-platform doesn't necessarily mean PS3 + 360. It could also mean games slated to be for the 360 from Square could jump to the PS3, also. Looks like less exclusives for everybody.

  • getoconnection

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 8:23 pm PT

    Makes it that much easier to cross platform. There goes more Sony exclusives. Poor Sony fanboys.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 8:00 pm PT

    well that's cool, wonder what kind of game they'll make

  • Dryker

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 7:22 pm PT

    Imagine a creative force like Square/Enix being able to focus more on art direction and gameplay rather than technology and you may conceive a dramatic appreciation of product. An MMO with Final Fantasy characters and lore that looked more like Mass Effect than FFXI, now that would be impressive. Square/Enix was my favorite developer for a good decade or more, though I never owned nor wanted a PS2. I put my money on Oddworld Inhabitants... oh, well. I'm concerned for the future of Square, although they have been producing amazing product, FFXII, they have also produced flops, Dirge of Cerberus and I'm wondering if it has anything to do with losing Final Fantasy's creator, (excuse me if this name is wrong ) Hironobu san. This licensing of the Unreal Engine has me excited, but I believe Mistwalker's upcoming Lost Odyssey is also licensing the engine. This does not leave me concerned about the possiblity of homogeneity in games, but leaves me intrigued on the possible improvements on thematic and dramatic elements of gaming. PS3 IS DONE!

  • XAF1

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 7:09 pm PT

    Cross platforming would be the way to go in the current generation of new consoles. The truth is that different consoles are selling better in different regions. Development houses are spending a fortune on development and supporting only one next gen console would be foolish at this point. Game development costs will or have increased a great deal more and just selling 1 million copies isn't as profitable as it use to be it will take greater sells numbers for these companies to keep going and turn a profit. At this point game development is about considering the bottom line " are the financial stock holders happy and are they earning or losing money?." If the answer is no then this means the possibility of instant death for any development house.

  • mismajor99

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 7:07 pm PT

    Epic is an amazing company, and Gears was just a showcase for their new engine. Epic will make more money selling the actual engine than any game they make. Don't forget, many many games have used the Unreal engine in the past, way before 3.0. This is what Epic does, build game Engines along with great games like the Unreal Tournament series and the original Unreal 1 and 2(Of course Gears is a given).

  • Valen_Ca

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 7:07 pm PT

    peeweeshift
    there is to many games using the engine. it shows how lazy companies are. i don't want to see games with the same engine in all games i play. And i expected better from square.

    I'll tell you what, when you decide to donate the the millions it takes to fully develop a game engine then you can make remarks like that, until then, don't rag on the developers for being lazy because they license.

  • peeweeshift

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 6:58 pm PT

    there is to many games using the engine. it shows how lazy companies are. i don't want to see games with the same engine in all games i play. And i expected better from square.

  • AbstractTerror

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 6:53 pm PT

    Hopefully FFXIV is an MMORPG like FFXI.... FFXI had so much potential... but it didn't live up to it (it was still great though)

  • Generic_Dude

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 6:14 pm PT

    Mechakucha: This is why I like living in north carolina (epic's state). We get to see our influence spread the entire world over.

    STOP ADVERTISING! It brings the Yankees!

  • Tungsten88

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 6:10 pm PT

    No! Stay away from the Unreal, evil FF!

  • darth-revan

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 5:47 pm PT

    ultimate_zero Hope "what ever they make doesn't end up having as many glitches as Gears of War. "

    Dude, have you played gears of war? its o.k. must've mistaken it for the battlefield games.

  • Zane182

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 5:36 pm PT

    Means it'll speed up ps3 release dates. Dosen't mean FF will go cross-platform... necessarily.

  • noxian

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 5:26 pm PT

    slipshoddoa Square/Enix must 1) Have looked at Gears of War and realized they couldn't compete and threw in the engine towel on White and/or 2)They plan to take all their franchises cross platform. I mean, they already have one Final Fantasy game on the PC and the 360, why not do them all? Making a PS3 exclusive these days is financial suicide. --------------------------------------------------------------------------
    unless its a series that isn't as big outside of Japan and makes the vast majority of its sales in Japan alone (not all their series have the spread of FF, not even DQ did.). in which case there's less reason to crossplatform for the 360.
    One day people are going to have to realize that crossplatforming isn't the magic money maker they think it is. you can probably could the number of titles that successfully crossplatformed (sold well across all platforms) on one hand, and that number will be vastly dwarfed by the number that ended up completely skewed to one console anyway and the publisher actually lost money on all the unsold copies for other platforms.

  • davahsa

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 4:36 pm PT

    People.... middleware does not determine the graphics or gameplay! SE can take the physics and lighting elements from UE3 and ditch the rest. Look at it like this...... Some dude took his xbox and modded it into a super awesome gaming machine that was unlike what you could buy in the store. That is what SE will do to UE3.... manipulate it to fit there prefrences. Not all UE3 games need to look or play the same. Compare GOW with Lost Oddessy for example. SE will make next-gen games look like you have imagined.....They know what they are doing! Gears is not the best looking game you will ever see (and if you think Gears looks crappy than WTF sower puss?)

  • games_pot1

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 4:35 pm PT

    Unreal Engine is getting really popular.

  • Gmacrusher

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 4:16 pm PT

    Well it would explain the FF13 shotting part...

  • Romanticide

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 4:12 pm PT

    lol who DOESNT se the unreal engine?!

  • ultimate_zero

    Posted Jan 25, 2007 4:01 pm PT

    Hope what ever they make doesn't end up having as many glitches as Gears of War.

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