GameSpy joins Epicâ??s Integrated Partners Programme

GameSpy have signed a deal with Epic to incorporate its multiplayer and community technologies into Unreal Engine 3, making them immediately available to all UE3 licensees.

The technology suite offers matchmaking, community features and advanced statistic tracking, all with full cross-platform support for the PC and PlayStation 3 platforms. The toolset is currently being used in Codemasters’ Turning Point: Fall of Liberty and Ubisoft’s Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway.

“We’re very excited to welcome GameSpy into the Integrated Partners Program,” said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games.

“GameSpy is the leader in multiplayer gaming technology and has a vast amount of experience in developing rich and sophisticated multiplayer systems with community and commerce features that Epic and its Unreal Engine 3 licensees can directly benefit from. Having GameSpy integrate their technology into our engine and provide direct support for our licensees is a huge value-add for Unreal Engine 3.”

Jamie Berger, senior vice president of consumer products and technology for IGN Entertainment, added: “Epic and the Unreal Engine 3 are on the leading edge of next-generation and multi-platform gaming, and we are very pleased to join the Integrated Partners Program.

“GameSpy is committed to working together with Epic to address a broad range of needs for the connected gamer, including multiplayer matchmaking, in-game and out-of-game messaging, persistent player communities, and competition systems."

Hinting at future UE3-optimised additions to the suite, Berger said: “We look forward to extending that relationship with a number of new technologies customized for Unreal Engine 3 to be introduced over the next 12 months.”