Author: by Staff

Two new developers have signed up to use Epic's Unreal Engine 3 for their next-gen titles, with Sweden's Star Vault to utilize the Gears Of War-powering engine for an MMO named NOW, and Spain's Tragnarion using it for multi-platform co-operation shooter The Scourge Project. Star Vault is a new Swedish games company founded by its CEO, Henrik Nystrom - who has 11 years of experience within the MMORPG space. The advisory board for the company has 30 years of experience in game development, including positions such as technical director and lead programmer on projects including Ground Control II. To facilitate the launch of NOW, Star Vault has a board with experience to facilitate the financial and business development of Star Vault, and access to the capital markets through the public listing on the Aktietorget exchange in Sweden. Conversely, Mallorca's Tragnarion, which was formed in 2003 and is also working on an original Nintendo DS game, will use the engine for their new multiplatform shooter featuring a focus on co-operative narrative and gameplay. The Scourge Project will be the first story-driven FPS game built from the ground up for co-operative squad play, according to the developers, where up to 4 players each experience a personal story, whilst playing together as a squad. It's due for release in 2008.