Epic's Unreal Engine 4 to Target Consoles First

March 13, 2008 1:49 PM

The next version of Epic's popular Unreal Engine game development middleware will be initially skewed towards console development, according to company president Tim Sweeney.

"Version 4 will exclusively target the next console generation," Sweeney told TG Daily. "Microsoft's successor for the Xbox 360, Sony's successor for the Playstation 3--and if Nintendo ships a machine with similar hardware specs, then that also.

"PCs will follow after that," he continued.

Epic's initial focus on console development reflects the movements of many studios towards the more lucrative console gaming market, which has grown exponentially in recent years.

The company has not abandoned its PC gaming roots, however. Epic announced late last month that it intends to participate in the PC Gaming Alliance, a consortium bent on revitalizing the platform.