Unreal Tournament 3 To Feature SpeedTree(R)RT
First Game to Offer Professional SpeedTree Tools for Game Modding
COLUMBIA, SC - November 15, 2007 - Epic Games, Inc., developer of top-selling games including Gears of War and the Unreal franchise, announced today that it has licensed IDV's SpeedTree®RT in Unreal Tournament 3. The game industry's leading foliage technology is set to enhance the game's virtual worlds as well as offer unprecedented tree-editing features to players creating their own game versions.
Epic is using Unreal Engine 3, the engine technology it also sells commercially, to create Unreal Tournament 3. In 2006, SpeedTree became one of the first members of the Integrated Partners Program for Unreal Engine 3. Teams at both IDV and Epic Games worked together to create a seamless, highly functional integration between SpeedTree and the popular engine.
"The integration of SpeedTreeRT with our engine brings the best of two leading edge technologies to Unreal Tournament 3," said Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games. "Outstanding gameplay in amazing environments will blow players away."
But players are going to get more than graphic excellence, Rein added. "For the first time in any game featuring SpeedTree, Unreal Tournament 3 is going to let players use the professional tree-editing features of the SpeedTree system to create and edit foliage in the worlds they develop. Content creators will enjoy an unprecedented degree of freedom and as they build fantastic new worlds."
Noted IDV CEO Chris King, "SpeedTree is the undisputed leader in virtual foliage, and its superb presentation in Unreal Tournament 3 will set a new standard in the way games should look and feel. Unreal Tournament 3 is going to be an incredible experience, and we are unbelievably proud to get to be part of it."
About SpeedTreeRT
SpeedTreeRT, winner of the 2005 Front Line Award for middleware, delivers highly realistic trees and plants, with adjustable wind effects, user-configurable and seamless LOD transitions, and an included library of more than 1,000 tree, plant and marine models representing 200 species. SpeedTreeRT includes SpeedTreeCAD, a Windows application used to create and edit animated trees in real-time. More information is available at www.speedtree.com.
About Interactive Data Visualization
Interactive Data Visualization, Inc. (IDV), develops software products with a focus on real-time three dimensional applications for the game development, visual simulation, engineering visualization, and animation industries. IDV, a privately held corporation, was founded in 1999 in Columbia, South Carolina. For more information about IDV, visit www.idvinc.com.
About Unreal Tournament 3
Unreal Tournament 3 marks the return of the world's premiere first-person shooter to the PC, and its debut on the PLAYSTATION®3 system. Unreal Tournament 3 unleashes the full power of Unreal Engine 3, taking graphics, gameplay, and challenge to a whole new level. Players engage in intense battles with other human players online, or against Unreal artificial intelligence that sets the industry standard. With the most powerful futuristic weapons and vehicles available, this is FPS action at its best! More information about Unreal Tournament 3 can be found online at www.unrealtournament3.com.
About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in their Unreal series and their latest game, Gears of War, broke sales records on Xbox 360 selling more than 3 million copies worldwide in the first ten weeks and awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Game Developers Choice Awards, GameSpot, GamePro and many others. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including Console Game of the Year winner "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" by Ubisoft; PC Gamer's Game of the Year "Deus Ex" from Ion Storm/Eidos; "America's Army: Special Forces," by the United States Army; and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic's Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine's Front Line award for Best Game Engine. Epic Games was also awarded Studio of the Year at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards and Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through Epic's Web site at www.epicgames.com.
Epic, Epic Games, Unreal, Unreal Tournament and Gears of War are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contact(s): Kevin Meredith Nicola Kirby
Interactive Data Visualization, Inc Little Brown Dog for Epic Games
(803) 356-1999, ext. 10 +44 (1372) 818 776
meredith@idvinc.com Kirby@littlebrowndoggy.com