Unity’s ‘2017’ game engine will focus on artists and designers

Unity's keynote at this year's GDC was all about the future of its game engine. The company has outlined plans for the next major version of its platform, Unity 2017, which is being designed with creators in mind. Unity says one of the main goals is...

Valve’s VR technology now works with the Unity game engine

For many gaming platforms, the litmus test these days is whether or not they get official support in Unity's game engine -- land that and many developers (and by extension, gamers) are likely to give them a closer look. Valve just got a big credibil...

Microsoft buys 3D physics developer Havok to boost gaming efforts

Microsoft today announced the acquisition of Havok from Intel. Havok makes a 3D physics engine and licenses it to gaming studios; its work has been featured on more than 600 titles, including popular franchises such as Assassin's Creed, Call of Dut...

Unity drops licensing fee on game engine for mobile developers

Unity drops licensing fee on game engine for mobile developers

Indie developers have been able to take advantage of a free version of the Unity engine for desktop game development some time now, and starting today they can extend that development to mobile games at no added cost. The company's confirmed that it's dropping the $800 licensing fee for its Android and iOS build options, with BlackBerry 10 and Windows Phone 8 development also promised to be moving to a free option in the "coming months."

As Unity CEO David Helgason explained at the Unite Nordic conference earlier today, the company has been hoping to make the move "for what seems like forever," with his ultimate goal being to push the "democratisation of game development further than ever before." He further explains in a blog post that the new option comes with "no strings attached, no royalties and no license fees," apart from the prior rules that require large companies to use the paid version of Unity. As for those who've recently paid up for the mobile engine only to find it now free, Helgason says they can expect to hear from him in the next two weeks with an offer of discounts on future purchases.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: TechCrunch, Pocket Gamer

Source: Unity

Unity 3D for linux gets two playable demos

DNP Unity 3D for linux gets two playable demos

Linux gamers are really just having the time of their lives right now. They've been embraced by indie game devs, by Valve, Epic and the increasingly popular Unity 3D. And, some of these properties aren't quite ready for the big show yet, you can get a taste of what to expect from Unity 4 thanks to a pair of playable demos that have hit the web. AngryBots and Unitroids are both available as standalone executables for your open-source desktop. They're not complete games, but they at least serve as practical demos of the progress being made in porting the gaming engine. They've both got their quirks at the moment, but it's hard not to get excited about the prospect of plummeting through AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA!!! for the Awesome on your Quantal PC. Hit up the source for download links.

Filed under:

Unity 3D for linux gets two playable demos originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOMG! Ubuntu!  | Email this | Comments

Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 to play nice with Unity game engine

Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 get Unity game engine support

You can't have too many supported platforms and Unity Technologies seems to agree, announcing that its self-titled game creation tool will be coming to both Windows 8 and its mobile sibling. According to CEO David Helgason, "The Unity community has been asking for access to Windows Phones and have been eagerly anticipating the release of Windows 8. We're happy to announce that we will support both." He added that several of its games will also be making their way to Atom processor-powered Android phones soon.

Filed under: , , ,

Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 to play nice with Unity game engine originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 22 Aug 2012 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEdge Online  | Email this | Comments

Valve launches Linux blog, officially announces Steam for Ubuntu

Valve launches Linux blog, announces Steam for Ubuntu

If bits of launcher script, photographic evidence and a short video weren't enough to convince you Valve was porting Steam to Linux, maybe you'll take it directly from the horse's mouth: Steam is coming to Ubuntu 12.04. Sick, perhaps, of denying the project, Valve has created a Linux blog to document its efforts -- outlining its history with the open-source OS and making its goals public. The plan is simple: get Steam ported to Linux with full functionality, optimize Left 4 Dead to run at a respectable clip with OpenGL and port additional Valve titles. The team is also asking for feedback, and hope to leverage the ideas of the community. Eager to put in your two cents? Check out the blog at the source link below.

[Thanks, Andrew]

Valve launches Linux blog, officially announces Steam for Ubuntu originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 21:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceValve Software  | Email this | Comments

Crytek’s CryEngine 3 makes it easier than ever for devs to build games as pretty as Crysis

Crytek's new CryEngine 3 makes it easier than ever for devs to make games as pretty as Crysis

It's not every day you get to speak with the folks who make one of the most advanced game engines in the world, but today at E3, Crytek (you know, the folks responsible for Crysis) let us in on some of the secrets behind its latest game platform, CryEngine 3. We sat down with Kirthy Iyer, an animation technologist at Crytek, and had him walk us through some of CE3's tools that are enabling publishers to build games for any platform -- including PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 -- faster and better than ever. Among the highlights are a "multi-layer navigation mesh" that automates the movements of AI-controlled game characters, and super realistic water rendering technologies. We could go on singing CryEngine's praises, but instead we'll let you get all the details from Mr. Iyer in the video after the break. Enjoy.

Continue reading Crytek's CryEngine 3 makes it easier than ever for devs to build games as pretty as Crysis

Crytek's CryEngine 3 makes it easier than ever for devs to build games as pretty as Crysis originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jun 2012 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

DICE to require 64-bit OS for some 2013 games, that Windows ME box in the den isn’t cutting it

DICE to require 64-bit OS for some 2013 games, that Windows ME box in the den isn't cutting it

We're entering a world of mainstream 64-bit computing -- whether we like it or not. Just weeks after Adobe started requiring 64-bit Macs for CS6, DICE's Rendering Architect Johan Andersson has warned that some of his company's 2013 games using the Frostbite engine will need the extra bits as a matter of course. In other words, it won't matter if you have a quad Core i7 gaming PC of death should the software be inadequate; if you're still running a 32-bit copy of Windows 7 come the new year, you won't be playing. The developer points to memory as the main culprit, as going 64-bit guarantees full access to 4GB or more of RAM as well as better virtual addressing. Andersson sees it as a prime opportunity to upgrade to Windows 8, although 64-bit Vista and 7 (and presumably OS X, if and when Mac versions exist) will be dandy. Just be prepared to upgrade that Windows XP PC a lot sooner than Microsoft's 2014 support cutoff if you're planning to run the next Battlefield or Mirror's Edge.

DICE to require 64-bit OS for some 2013 games, that Windows ME box in the den isn't cutting it originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 22 May 2012 14:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Eurogamer  |  sourceJohan Andersson (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments