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[Gram Negative Cocci]

RenderWare was the most popular engine last generation. From FPS games, racers, sandbox titles to fighting games it was used everywhere.

AFL Live 2004
AFL Live Premiership Edition
AFL Premiership 2005
AFL Premiership 2006
Airport Tycoon
AirBlade
Apache Air Assault
Backyard Sports
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat
Black
Bleach: Erabareshi Tamashii
Blitz: The League
Bratz: Rock Angelz
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon
Bully
Burnout
Burnout 2: Point of Impact
Burnout 3: Takedown
Burnout Legends
Burnout: Revenge
Burnout Dominator
Burnout Paradise
Call of Duty: Finest Hour
Chinese Paladin 4
Chinese Paladin 5
Chinese Paladin Online
City Crisis
Cold Fear
Cold Winter
Commandos: Strike Force
Corvette Evolution GT
Crackdown
Darkwatch
Dream of Mirror Online
DreamMix TV World Fighters
Eve Burst Error Plus
Evil Dead: Regeneration
Fate/unlimited codes
Football Generation
Frank Herbert's Dune
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows
G-Nome
Grand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Headhunter Redemption
Käpt'n Blaubär - Bannig auf Zack
Kamen Rider: Seigi no Keifu
Kill Switch
killer7
Madagascar
Manhunt
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
MLB 2K5
Mortal Kombat: Armageddon
Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance
Mortal Kombat: Deception
Nana
NBA Ballers
NFL Blitz 20-03
NRL Rugby League
ObsCure
Outlaw Golf 2
Premier Manager 2005/2006
Pro Evolution Soccer 2
Red Jets
Rich Man 7
Rich Man 7 Plus:
Touring Formosa/Touring Hong Kong
Rich Man 8
Rich Man Universe Online
Risk: Global Domination
RoboCop
Scorched Planet
S.C.A.R. - Squadra Corse Alfa Romeo
Scar of Sky Online
Secret Weapons Over Normandy
Shadow the Hedgehog
Sonic Heroes
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom
Stardom 3
Stardom 3 Plus: Valse of Fame
Stardom 3 Plus: Argent Fantasy
Stardom 3 Plus: Sweet Melody
Suikoden III
Super-Bikes Riding Challenge
Tech Deck: Bare Knuckle Grind
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Melee
The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer
The Incredibles
The Settlers: Heritage of Kings
The Settlers: Rise of an Empire
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (video game)
The Sword Of Etheria (OZ in Japan)
The Warriors
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Total Overdose
Toxic Grind
TrickStyle
Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune
Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 2
Without Warning
Xuan Yuan Sword 5
Xuan Yuan Sword Plus: Cloud of the Han
Xuan Yuan Sword Plus: The Far of Cloud
yourself!Fitness
Zatch Bell! Mamodo Battles

Unreal Engine 2 was also popular but mostly because of countless Ubisoft titles:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Unreal_Engine_games#Unreal_Engine_2_and_2.5

This gen was all about Unreal Engine 3.0 however. Epic made a shitton of money from licence fees. A quick reminder of how ubiquitous UE3 really is:

50 Cent: Blood on the Sand
APB: All Points Bulletin
Alpha Protocol
America's Army 3.0
Alice: Madness Returns
American McGee's Grimm
Army of Two
Army of Two: The 40th Day
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Batman: Arkham City
BioShock Infinite
Blacklight: Tango Down
Blade & Soul
Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
Brothers in Arms: War Heroes
BlackSite: Area 51
Blitz
Borderlands
Bulletstorm
CellFactor: Psychokinetic Wars
Crimecraft
Damnation
Dark Void
DmC
DC Universe Online
Earth No More
Ender's Game: Battle Room
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
End
Fairytale Fights
Fatal Inertia
Frontlines: Fuel of War
Fury
Gears of War
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 3
Global Agenda
Hail to the Chimp
Homefront
Hour of Victory
Hunted: The Demon's Forge
Huxley
Kinect Adventures
Legendary
Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust
Lost Odyssey
Lucha Libre AAA: Heroes del Ring
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
MagnaCarta II
MechWarrior
Medal of Honor (single-player)
Medal of Honor: Airborne
Mirror's Edge
Monday Night Combat
Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Mortal Kombat
Mortal Online
Off-Road Drive
Parabellum
Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad
Rise of the Argonauts
Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot
Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Conspiracy
RoboBlitz
Saw: The Video game
Saw II: Flesh & Blood
Section 8
Shadow Complex
Silent Hill: Downpour
Singularity
Sin City
Stargate Resistance
Star Trek DAC
Sky Gods
Stranglehold
TERA
The Agency
The Last Remnant
The Punisher: No Mercy
The Scourge Project: Episode 1 and 2
TNA iMPACT!
To End All Wars
Tom Clancy's EndWar
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Transformers: War For Cybertron
Tron: Evolution
Turning Point: Fall of Liberty
Turok
Undertow
Unreal Tournament 3
The Wheelman
Warmonger: Operation Downtown Destruction
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
TNA iMPACT! 2011
Zumba Fitness

It's really used almost everywhere.

An amazing feat no matter if you like the engine or not. Note a very large amount of EA games on that list. That's why EA decided to use one of their in-house engines as the basis of next-gen development. They do not want to fund Epic's offices anymore. For starters it's being used in this gen games like Battlefield 3 and NFS: The Run. Enter Frostbite 2.0:

Epic of course is not standing still and continuosly enhancing UE3 feature set. They are already selling it around while showcasing what it can do:

UE3 Samaritan:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdwHrCT5jr0

Battlefield 3 12 minutes gameplay:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw9z6RWkCng

Which of those two engines will be most popular next-gen?
Does EA stand any chance with shipping their own engine to 3rd party devs?
Can you imagine Activision or Ubisoft buying EA's engine?
Is there still chance for a new comer?

Personally I think nothing can stop the behemoth Epic created. They have so vast network of connections, solid sales, tremendous SDK etc. that nothing will threaten it on PS4/ 720.

On a side note: can idTech5 be successful?

 

[Zombie James]

Is Frostbite even license-able?

 

[Nirolak]

Frostbite 2.0 and id Tech 5 are internal use only.

I guess you could make the argument that EA and ZeniMax are buying so many studios that they could become dominant, but I don't think that's what you mean.

The main licenseable engines are still Unreal Engine 3, CryEngine 3, and Gamebryo.

Edit:

And HeroEngine for MMOs since both SWTOR and The Elder Scrolls Online are using it.

 

[PumpkinPie]

UE can fuck off next gen. I want my textures now, not in ten minutes time.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Frostbite 2.0 and id Tech 5 are internal use only.

I guess you could make the argument that EA and ZeniMax are buying so many studios that they could become dominant, but I don't think that's what you mean.

The main licenseable engines are still Unreal Engine 3, CryEngine 3, and Gamebryo.

Gamebryo is dead so that leaves UE3 and CE3.

 

[Clockblockers]

I'm curious what the current programers think of the new engines

 

[Lagspike_exe]

Crytek 3 and UE4 (or whatever they brand it) are both viable options. IIRC, Id tech. 5 won't be licensed outside Bethesda and I'm not sure what's EA's stance on Frostbite licensing.

 

[Tron 2.0]

UE is scalable across so many devices. No one comes close at this point.

 

[The Technomancer]

DotA2 will ship with massive massive Source upgrades, and every developer and their dad will jump on board.

Believe!

 

[Nirolak]

Gamebryo is dead so that leaves UE3 and CE3.

It's alive again actually. Gamebase bought the corpse and brought it back: http://www.gamebryo.com/en/About/

Catherine, El Shaddai, and Rocksmith are three titles that have used it recently.

 

[Gravijah]

Gamebryo is dead so that leaves UE3 and CE3.

We'll miss you, Gamebryo!

 

[whatevermort]

Unreal. Loads of devs are using it now for games that'll be out in 2013, and if those games become Next Gen, they'll set a precedent. UE3'll shift to UE4, and it'll maintain its position as an industry standard. To get all those studios with Unreal licenses to move to Frostbite (if it's even licensable) or Cryengine would be a hell of a thing, and pretty much impossible, I reckon.

 

[Erebus]

UE3 again.

 

[Crash Station]

REALLY hope UE4 isn't the big one next gen.

 

[wsippel]

Frostbite 2.0 and id Tech 5 are internal use only.

I guess you could make the argument that EA and ZeniMax are buying so many studios that they could become dominant, but I don't think that's what you mean.

The main licenseable engines are still Unreal Engine 3, CryEngine 3, and Gamebryo.

Edit:

And HeroEngine for MMOs since both SWTOR and The Elder Scrolls Online are using it.

Unity plans to enter the high end sector soon, while Gamebryo seems to be on it's way out.

 

[Mr_Brit]

It's alive again actually. Gamebase bought the corpse and brought it back: http://www.gamebryo.com/en/About/

Catherine, El Shaddai, and Rocksmith are three titles that have taken it up recently.

Are they updating it or just licensing it? If they're just licensing it then it can still be considered dead as barring cost cutting there's no reason you'd use it over alternative engines that have been upgraded.

 

[Nirolak]

REALLY hope UE4 isn't the big one next gen.

Well, companies like Warner and LucasArts are signing unlimited licenses for the engine, so it's very likely they're planning to switch.

 

[JordanLMiller]

UE will probably remain the engine of choice much to my dismay.

 

[Nirolak]

Are they updating it or just licensing it? If they're just licensing it then it can still be considered dead as barring cost cutting there's no reason you'd use it over alternative engines that have been upgraded.

Still updating: http://www.gamebryo.com/en/Support/

I don't expect it to be very popular, but it's made in Korea now so it's getting more popular in Asia.

 

[Setvan2734]

I really want to see more open world games being made with Just Cause 2's Avalanche Engine. The engine is just perfect

 

[Proelite]

I really want to see more open world games being made with Just Cause 2's Avalanche Engine. The engine is just perfect

This. Great lighting and unprecedented scale.

 

[Gram Negative Cocci]

Yeah, Gamebryo can fuck right off.

UE3 is so entrenched in various developments that I wouldn't be surprised if Epic could already stop releasing own games and just concentrate on UE3/4 development. I think they need those games... uh... Gears only nowadays cause UT franchise is dead as one minor bulletpoint in UE3 Power Point presentations for Sales Managers.

 

[Mooreberg]

Considering the genius idea of tying certain game engines to certain publishers, we are probably in for another round of wretched texture loading via Unreal Engine games. Nobody is going to ditch their deal with Activision or Warner Brothers to use id Tech 5 or Frostbite 2.

 

[pharmboy044]

What about Phyreengine? That shit is being used in Dark Souls. That's all that matters.

 

[Neuromancer]

I would love to see CryEngine take off, especially on console.

 

[Zenith]

Such a shame Framework MT will never leave Capcom.

 

[elrechazado]

frostbite 2

 

[TekkenMaster]

Can Unreal Engine do hair yet?

Or is it still the engine of the Bald Space Marine?

 

[Mooreberg]

I would love to see CryEngine take off, especially on console.

Who else besides Crytek is using it? I know that Nexuiz port for XBLA is... can't think of anything else.

 

[Alexios]

BF3 is current gen, why are you comparing it to Epic's thing we'll not be able to use for many more years?

 

[Nirolak]

Who else besides Crytek is using it? I know that Nexuiz port for XBLA is... can't think of anything else.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2.

And... I think that's it that's announced.

BF3 is current gen, why are you writing as if you're comparing it with Epic's next gen thing?

Frostbite 2.0 is designed to be scaled up when the next generation hits.

They're actually holding back on quite a few things it can do so the games still run on consoles.

 

[BY2K]

Most likely Frostbite 2, but I really hope Valve gets around and creates a Source Engine 2 or something like that.

 

[Nirolak]

Most likely Frostbite 2, but I really hope Valve gets around and creates a Source Engine 2 or something like that.

Not available for license.

 

[ArjanN]

UE can fuck off next gen. I want my textures now, not in ten minutes time.

Then play Unreal Engine games on PC.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

I'd prefer no third party engine "dominate." I don't like seeing so many samey looking games.

 

[Alexios]

Frostbite 2.0 is designed to be scaled up when the next generation hits.

Well, I said BF3 not Frostbite 2.0. Putting a picture of a current gen game, even if the same engine will be used for next gen, next to a tech demo that can't run reasonably on any current hardware, PC or otherwise, isn't exactly fair.

As for that hair comment someone made, eh, Unreal Engine was never incapable of having hair, the artists who created the character models just couldn't or couldn't be bothered. Just because it didn't have hair physics doesn't mean they couldn't either implement it themselves (not he artists, obviously) or create them with their own tricks and canned animations they should have been able to use since the last generation if not earlier, with convincing results.

 

[SneakyStephan]

I'm thoroughly sick and tired of the UE3 look by now, so hopefully some other engine.

 

[°°ToMmY°°]

Who else besides Crytek is using it? I know that Nexuiz port for XBLA is... can't think of anything else.

sniper: ghost warrior 2

edit: beaten.

 

[Red UFO]

Source 2.0

Believe.

 

[BY2K]

Not available for license.

I don't answer the question based on how many games will use it, but based on which will be the best. (Power, Optimization, etc.)

 

[TekkenMaster]

I'm thoroughly sick and tired of the UE3 look by now, so hopefully some other engine.

Same with me...all Unreal 3 games have characters that look shiny and plasticy with oh-my-god-cool-normal-mapping-everywhere1!!?!!

 

[Nirolak]

Can Unreal Engine do hair yet?

Or is it still the engine of the Bald Space Marine?

 

[subversus]

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2.

And... I think that's it that's announced.

a lot of games

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/gdc-11-cryengine-3/711209

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Source 2.0

Believe.

Valve has explicitly stated there is no replacement for the current Source engine being made.

 

[Nirolak]

I don't answer the question based on how many games will use it, but based on which will be the best. (Power, Optimization, etc.)

Ah, I see. In that case, there is a strong argument for that.

 

[FunkyPajamas]

I imagine Unreal will keep dominating, if only because most developers are already familiar with the groundwork and it'll keep costs somewhat grounded (or so I believe).

 

[Wazzim]

UE3 or CryEngine 3 are the only options.

 

[Gram Negative Cocci]

Well, I said BF3 not Frostbite 2.0. Putting a picture of a current gen game, even if the same engine will be used for next gen, next to a tech demo that can't run reasonably on any current hardware, PC or otherwise, isn't exactly fair.

According to Epic if it wasn't for one feature costing them a 40% loss in frame rate they could have easily optimized Samaritan to run on just one GTX 580. It's perfectly doable on current PCs. Just behind closed doors

 

[ArjanN]

Can Unreal Engine do hair yet?

Or is it still the engine of the Bald Space Marine?

 

[BY2K]

Ah, I see. In that case, there is a strong argument for that.

My guess is it's gonna be between Frostbite 2, CryEngine 3 and Unreal Engine 4.

Unless Valve gives a major boost to the Source Engine, I don't see Source compete.