Smiling Gator licenses Source Engine for new MMORPG

Florida-based developer Smiling Gator Productions has become the latest company to license Valve's Source Engine, which the firm created for use in the upcoming Half-Life 2 and other projects.

Smiling Gator plans to use the engine to power a new massively multiplayer title, Twilight War: After The Fall, which it describes as "an MMORPG with an integrated first person shooter style combat system."

The company - which is a recently founded start-up - becomes the third external developer to acquire a license to Valve's much-vaunted technology. The forthcoming sequel to Vampire: The Masquerade, Bloodlines, is being built on the Source engine by Troika Games, while Arx Fatalis creators Arkane Studios are also building a new game on the engine.