Epic opening new Seattle studio

Epic Games is opening a new studio in Seattle, Washington.

Initial development is said to focus on Unreal Engine 4, and Epic has announced a round of hiring to help flesh out its new team of engineers.

Hiring will focus on senior-level engineering talent "specializing in online games and the infrastructure to support them", but other programmers and support staff are also needed.

"The proximity to key partners, the density of world-class talent and all the factors that make Seattle an attractive place to live convinced us that it is the perfect locale for Epic’s West Coast operation,” said Epic Games President Dr. Michael Capps.

“We are looking to hire even more of the best engineers around to contribute to Unreal Engine 4, which we believe is set to change the way we all make games.”

Proximity to key partners almost certainly means Microsoft, as the colosal success of Unreal Engine 3 was tied heavily to Gears of War on the Xbox 360.

Since Gears of War, over 300 games have been developed for all platforms using Unreal 3, and Epic would doubtlessly like to repeat its success.

For more information about available jobs and requirements, please see the Epic Seattle job listings.

Key leadership and the official corporate identity at the new studio will be revealed at a later date.