Epic deal to fill EA’s ‘Dead Space’?

The deal between Epic Games and Electronic Arts was announced late last week, with the publisher saying that the Unreal Engine 3 will power a number of new titles, although it didn’t specify which ones.

But a report filed today on CNNMoney.com quotes analyst P.J. McNealy with saying the tech will find its way into a new – currently unannounced and therefore unconfirmed – game called Dead Space, while the recently-delayed episode in the tentpole Medal of Honor series will be switched to the engine as well.

EA has recently started an active drive into encouraging in-house teams to devise new ideas to go alongside its well-known franchises. Teams in the UK specifically are working on new, wholly-owned properties (as revealed in the June issue of Develop).

The deal sees EA fill a space in its tech portfolio, and Unreal Engine 3 is one of many tools the company employs. Paul Lee, president of EA studios said of the deal: "At EA, we give our development teams the tools they need to make great games. We license cutting edge tools like the Unreal Engine 3 and combine them with our own systems to create state-of-the-art development technology."

Regardless, the deal was no doubt well-received at Epic, which is finding itself in much favour amongst engine-hungry development teams as next-gen productions ramp up. The first game to demonstrate its Unreal Engine will be Epic’s in-house production, November’s 360 release Gears of War.