Not long ago, developer/publisher Midway snapped up the publishing rights for the next Unreal Tournament game, as well as Unreal Championship 2, and it's now been announced that the company's relationship with Epic goes even deeper. Midway has announced that the next generation of the Unreal engine, to make its debut in the upcoming Unreal 3, will also power the company's next-generation titles. The multi-year deal gives Midway access to the technology and tools from Epic's Unreal Engine 3. No specific games were announced as using the Unreal Engine 3, but Midway mentioned the engine is now in use at several of its studios. Among those using the engine are Midway Chicago (creators of NBA Ballers and Mortal Kombat), Midway Austin (creators of the upcoming Area 51), and Surreal Software (creators of The Suffering). "This relationship with Epic is key in our continued efforts to build Midway into a world class development organization," said Matt Booty, senior vice president of product development. "We want all of our studios to focus on creating great content and not on creating multiple technologies from scratch. The Unreal Engine 3 technology is a critical step towards this goal and combined with our own internal systems and additions, will allow Midway to maintain its leadership in quality development as we head into the next generation."