Epic and EA extend engine deal

Electronic Arts is planning to use Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 in over five new titles after signing an extension to its 2006 licensing agreement with the studio and middleware provider.

In EA’s official announcement of the deal, it said the extension "reflects EA’s confidence in the Unreal Engine by providing EA development teams with industry-leading tools and technologies to best serve the needs of each game".

UE3 has been used in a number of already released EA titles, including Medal of Honor Airborne and Army of Two – although at this time the publisher wouldn’t say which new games would be using the engine.

"With the largest and most talented studio operation in the world, it’s critical for us to give our studio teams the best tools they need to make great games," commented Frank Gibeau, president, at EA and head of the EA Games label.

"This agreement reflects our commitment to Epic’s technology which, in combination with our own cutting-edge systems, allows us to create ground breaking hits."

Mark Rein, vice president, Epic Games, added: "Epic is committed to providing EA with the premier development infrastructure, tools and technology for its upcoming games.

"We’re extremely excited that EA has chosen to expand their use of Unreal Engine 3 and we can’t wait to see more of the great games they will produce with it."