New Epic Games Seattle gives Unreal house West Coast presence

Gears of War and Unreal Engine house Epic Games just keeps on expanding. The Cary, NC-based company announced today it's opening a new studio in Seattle that will focus on engineering Unreal Engine 4 technology. Ever since Chinese online game giant Tencent bought a minority stake in Epic back in June this year, the company has been making moves to expand its footprint ahead of next generation of video game consoles and technology. The new studio is still in its very early stages. Epic has yet to establish a formal corporate name for the company, and it has yet to announce key leadership for the studio. Epic's looking for staff ranging from tech support to senior-level online services talent that will collaborate with the company's engineering group. The Seattle area is home to a range of video game and tech companies, including Xbox house Microsoft, which has close ties to Epic and its technology, and Valve Software. Epic Games president Michael Capps said the proximity to key partners and a large talent pool were driving factors for making the city its home for West Coast operations. Epic's other recent expansion moves include new Maryland-based game development house Impossible Studios, and the outright purchase of Poland Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly. The company has locations in North Carolina, Washington, Utah, Maryland, Poland, Korea and Japan