Midway Games’ kernel of power – Unreal Engine 3

LOS ANGELES — Midway Games is one of a growing number of game publishers to utilize Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 3. But when it comes to its E3 line-up, every game showcased featured UE3, which shows just how much the company believes in this technology.

Games on display at E3 included "TNA Impact! Wrestling," "The Wheelman" (featuring a virtual Vin Diesel), "This Is Vegas," "MK vs. DC Universe" and "Blitz: The League II."

Epic’s "Unreal Tournament 3," which recently shipped for Xbox 360, was also on display.

“We’ve spent the past three years investing in a centralized technology engine to deliver on our commitments of quality games,” said Matt Booty, interim chief executive officer at the game publisher. Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 is the central toolset that drives all of Midway’s games.

More to Unreal than first-person shooters

The company’s developers have built their own tools on top of UE3 to allow the engine to expand beyond the shooter genre to enter the wrestling ring, basketball court and racing genre. Midway unveiled an exclusive video trailer for the upcoming "MK vs. DC Universe" fighting game and announced "Blitz: The League II," two examples of games that will further expand the capabilities of UE3.

“With every new generation of consoles we wipe the slate clean with 'Mortal Kombat,'” said Ed Boon, creative director at Midway Games. “Now players will be able to fight within environments and throw each other off the side of a building and continue the battle as they fall through the air. The new technology allows us to create realistic clothing and real-time damage like bruising on these characters.”

Midway had playable versions of "TNA Impact!," which offered a very action-driven gameplay dynamic that separates itself from THQ’s "WWE Smackdown vs. RAW" games; "The Wheelman," a next-gen driving game, and "This Is Vegas," a new virtual Vegas open-world game, on display at its booth.

Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games, has worked with Midway since the publisher entered into a long-term deal with Midway to publish its Unreal franchise in addition to the UE3 technology license.

“I’m just really excited to see the great games Midway’s making with Unreal Engine 3,” said Rein after the presentations, outside by the pool at the trendy Cherry nightclub. “Clearly, if any game doesn’t look like 'Gears of War' or 'Unreal Tournament,' it’s 'This Is Vegas.' These games don’t perpetuate that silly myth that Unreal Engine games have a distinct look to them. 'Wheelman' and 'TNA Impact!' and 'Mortal Kombat' all look different.”

Rein added that Midway is really stretching the boundaries of what people can do with the technology and in the process is doing some really cool stuff. He conceded it took some time to be able to make all of the necessary enhancements and changes to the engine and learn how to use it, get comfortable with it and make it the base of their technological platform.

“I think Midway will reap many benefits from this technology for many years, and it’s nice that we can play a small role in that,” said Rein.

Analyst: ‘Epic Games are the guys now’

Michael Pachter, videogame analyst for Webush Morgan Securities, said that Midway is a company in turnaround and it needs more games.

“I would think using Unreal Engine 3 will help Midway cut down on development time and get ideas into final game format in a timely manner,” said Pachter, who was on hand at the event.

“Epic Games are the guys now,” added Pachter. “I don’t know who else is out there that’s going to compete with them in the engine business. These guys are insidious. They’ve gotten into the big publishers and the little developers and they own this market. 'Gears of War' is what cemented Epic. It was a flawless game. There was just something about it that works, and I think it sold publishers that Epic Games is for real and they use their technology to make a game that resonates with consumers and sells 5 million copies on one platform.”

Epic’s other hit franchise, "Unreal Tournament 3," has sold 1.2 million units since it launched last year on PlayStation 3 and PC. The Xbox 360 version comes with two new characters, five exclusive maps and split-screen gameplay. The game was playable on a dozen PS3s throughout the nightclub, with several members of the development team on hand for interviews.

“Xbox 360 is just another spoke in the wheel,” said Rein. “We’re selling the game on PC and on Steam and on PlayStation 3, but it’s a really great game on 360, and I think shooter fans should lap it up. There’s a huge community on Xbox Live, and this is a good game for that community.”

Pachter said "Unreal Tournament 3" could do three times as many units on Xbox 360 as it did on PS3, which would be in the neighborhood of 3.5 to 4 million units.

Also on display was the new open-world game, "The Wheelman," which is in development with Vin Diesel’s game company, Tigon Studios. The driving/on-foot action takes place in Barcelona, with Diesel playing an undercover cop. There’s also a movie in the works from MTV Films/Paramount Pictures based on this game.

Midway was the only publisher to have success with football after EA Sports secured the NFL exclusive. "Blitz: The League," a Mature-rated football game, sold over 1 million copies. Now the sequel introduces more colorful characters and storylines that the NFL would never allow.

"This Is Vegas" offers an open-world Sin City for players to explore through gambling, driving, dancing and other activities. It’s really up to gamers to explore this world as they wish. UE3 brings this stylized, M-rated Sin City to life with lush indoor and outdoor backdrops, including a whole collection of unique fantasy casinos.

Midway will be unveiling even more information on its much-anticipated "MK vs. DC" game at next week’s Comic-Con in San Diego.