News Unreal Engine 4.0 to exclusively target consoles

I knew they were saying all this because they wanted to be able to license their engine on consoles. Consoles are at their limit with UT3, PC it has already been surpassed, therefore, they can license it for 4 years on console, PC is mroe competitive, EPIC are idiots. Man, they really should shut up, and drop out of the PC gaming alliance, theya re not doing any good.

Also, the the poster who said PC market is getting smaller, educate yourself bro, it is growing, and expected to grow more this year.

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/20/gdc_long_live_pc_gaming/

http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/21/gdc_will_steam_add_movies_music/

Valve is ten times the developer EPIC is, they know what they are doing, epic expects to make console ports, then sell them on PC, DUH. People who make games with PC in mind sell well EPIC. Epic sell outs.

 

Isn't it also stupid to say this when the next gen (I thought this gen was next gen, lol) are years away? Imagine what PC graphics will be like in 09? UT3 will look dated by then. I guess that's what Epic wants, to be able to license the same engine for 5 years, it is obvious the engine was made with comnsoles in mind with is overdone post processing and blur effects, lack of AA in consoles, all gray colours and small environments.

 

Exactamundo!

If Epic are going to continue this whole PC bashing debacle then they should at least withdraw.

I think It's very untasteful and disrespectful on their part to be making such sweeping comments about the "decline" of PC gaming whilst they're still a part of the gaming alliance. I wonder how the other dev's in the alliance feel about Epic's stance?

It's a bit like a footballer joining a new club (say for arguments sake this club had trained him as a youth into a great player) and then telling everyone in the press that the club's gone to sh*t and that they'll never win anything; whilst making it abundantly clear that they're aleady making the plans to move to a club abroad where they pay more more money. The press would have a field day!

EPIC fail

 

With regards to the PC market for gamers getting smaller (or larger) I really think it tends to depend on the game type.

For MMO's... its growing massively
For RTS its growing
For Simulation (Sims) its growing massively
For RPG (Oblivion) its growing **slowly**
For Casual Family (Peggle) its growing

For Shooter its declining
For Racing its declining
For Platform its declining
For Party (Mario Party / Singstar / Guitar Hero) its declining
For Arcade game (Geometry Wars / Super Star Dust / Virtual retro Consoles) its declining

**Declining above means that console sales are outpacing the PC sales nowadays.

It just so happens that the majority of UT3 engine games are NOT RTS / RPG / Simulation etc..

All areas which are declining are GROWING on consoles. So thats why their engine will be targeted that way.

Cant fault VALVE though. They have done an excellent job with the Orange Box, but where next for them ? Portal ... is more simulation/strategy. Team Fortress is fantastic but other than art work and balanced classes, its nothing new. Half Life 3... will sell because of its story. All their stuff was also licenced for consoles as well. So even Valve wants a piece of the console $$$$.

I agree people who make games with the PC in mind will sell them (if they are good), but the demographic is changing... People really need to make PC games which people want to play on PC's as outlined above. If the majority of your shooter market is using a console then why spend millions making it for the PC if you are not going to see a profit ?

 

I have officially boycotted any EPIC games, and considering other developers are thriving on the PC market, they really are ignorant to make sweeping generalizations about the PC market. It is not PC gamings fault EPIC does not make games PC gamers care for much, we don't want rehashed console ports. Tell Valve PC gaming is dying. Epic are about one thing, greed, and licensing the same engine for 5 years can be done on consoles because they never get any better, EPIC can't compete in the PC market with engines like Cryengine 2 and others coming out that already surpassed UT3. I knoe ths was what EPIC were about for awhile with their ignorant comments.

 

Your clueless, Epic cannot stop others from licensing the engine and making a PC game out of it.

 

Is there any particular reason why so many of your posts in response to others begin with a personal attack?

Learn to argue properly.

(Also learn to use the edit button)

 

Racing declining? U obviously don't know the wealth of racing games on PC.

Shooters are not declining, the sales have about stayed the same, just more and more go multi-platform. Don't tell Crytek, Valve or GSC gameworld shooters are declining. Platformers where never much ON PC, nor sports games.

Arcade games? There are more arcade games on PC then all consoles combined, PC has a ten times bigger market for arcade games, the difference is console usually make u pay for them, which is assinine. The most downloaded arcade game of the year was peggle on Steam.

 

Anyway, it just shows Epic have other motives, for one, why be a part of the PC gaming alliance, and bad mouth PC gaming at every turn?

Also, they release a console game on PC a year after it is released, a game that is geared towards the arcadey gameplay of the consoles, and complain about sales? Not to mention the game is a buggy mess for many. UT3 has not sold well on PS3 or PC, and the PC version has actually outsold the PS3 version, PC gaming is thriving in Europe. Epic blames PC for their lackluster games they released on PC. Gears of War is an arcade game designed at the console, instant gratification of the console audience, and they whine it never sold well on PC? PC has many better shooters to play for one, being a year late doesn't help either.

What Epic are not telling U, is it really has nothing to do with PC gaming's decline, but everything to do with being able to milk an engine on the weaker hardware of the consoles for 5 years. Imagine what PX graphics will be like in 09, compared to consoles? Epic know this so they only way they can milk their engine is license it until the end of the life cycle of consoles, where UT3 is the appex of their graphical prowess.

 

just because UT3 had bad sells, doesn't mean they should stop. i suggest they take a good look at Crysis' interface, and recruit some proper HCI designers.

 

Last year Call of Duty 4 sold 7 Million copies worldwide (from their own press statement). I cant find data on the percentage of PC vs console sales but I would estimate that the majority was console sales (by a whopping margin). I do know that 3.4M of those sales were to the 360 in the US alone (as publsihed by the year end console sales charts from NPD)

Another example : BIOSHOCK.

In August 07, the PC version sold a respectable 77,000 copies. The 360 version sold 491,000 copies. (source : IGN)

Can you see now why they target the consoles ????? The vast number of copies sold means huge amounts of money.. Thats all its about. They are a business !!

That means that in comparison to the whole market available for COD4 sales, the PC share is in decline when compared with the other platforms.

Just imagine if no console version had been made. A whole ton of money would not have been made either.

 

Just found this :

US PC game sales brought in $910.7 million at retail in 2007, down from $970 million in 2006, according to NPD figures. World of Warcraft, The Sims and Call of Duty 4 ruled the top 10.

The Entertainment Software Association released the PC figures on Thursday, revealing that overall US computer and videogame sales reached a record $18.85 billion in 2007.

NPD said a total of 36.4 million units of PC game software were sold last year at US retailers.

Console software sales dwarfed PC game sales, raking in $6.6 billion (153.9 million units)


Source : http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=180600

 

When will people learn NDP are TOTALLY INACCURATE for PC sales? Bioshocks Ken Lavine said in an interview last month, the PC version had sold the MOST. NDP also said Crysis was a flop, it has now sold 1.5 million. Epic releases a game a year late that has console gameplay, and they wonder why it never sold well? Many PC games sold better then console versions, the orange box sold more on PC then all consoles combined, sorry, load of crap, make a good game geared for PC, it sells. Not some rehash and console port a year late.
http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/21/gdc_will_steam_add_movies_music/

The US is actually a smaller market for PC sales, Europe and Canada, PC gaming is thriving.

 

Sigh, since been rebuked, and is totally inaccruate, u guys need to leanr NDP = useless for PC, PC actually hauled in over 2.7 billion in 07, growing in 08, Geez, people.
http://www.tomsgames.com/us/2008/02/20/gdc_long_live_pc_gaming/

READ and EDUCATE yourself. NDP is an estimate, and US only, does not include digital distribution, which is very popular, more people are using Steam D2D to buy games then ever before.

EVEN NDP themselves says that their figures for PC does not include digital distribution, and are not accurate for PC sales.

How come Orange box sold more then all consoles combined? PC gamers buy games made with PC in mind, don't buy console ports much. PC sales are healthy and growing, if u read the articles I posted u would see this, people posting NDP need to realise those are not accurate in the least for PC games.

 

I personally didn't buy bioshock because of the invasive drm i can infer some others also didn't buy it for the same reason.

All these number show is that the console version sold better in august it doesn't give any indication why, it could be the drm it could be PC gamers are tired of playing the same old thing, it could the no death interface suited the console better it could simply be that the orange box was out about the same time along with a raft of other games and it was lower down the pecking order. What it doesn't show is how the game has continued to sell as the game becomes cheaper on the pc but remains comparatively expensive on the console.

 

Epic? Get Bent.

 

AMEN!

 

PC gaming has problems. Maybe that's why they joined the PC gaming alliance, ever think of that?

They shouldn't be crucified just because they call out obvious problems facing the platform - integrated graphics, piracy, driver issues, min specs. Most other members of the alliance are publicly traded companies and are aware of the issues; they just can't say anything publicly since they have to worry about their stock prices.

Epic is just calling out the issues, and if you would read the entire interview, you would understand this.

 

And dumping the platform (for all intents and purposes) yet staying on the panel.

 

if they would have the slightest interest in saving pc gaming they would do something to address the issues, not run for the hills, so i'll stick with my epic? get bent statement. The last thing Pc Gaming needs are Traitors like Epic who think they would be heroes by abandoning the pc.