Virtual Heroes to Advance Serious Games with Unreal® Engine 3
Combines Best-in-Class Gaming Technology with Industry Leading Collaborative Interactive Learning Solutions
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Virtual Heroes Inc. (VHI) today announced that it has entered into a studio license agreement to use Epic’s Unreal® Engine 3 in the development of serious games and/or advanced learning technologies. This license gives Virtual Heroes access to a complete, best-in-class development framework including a vast array of core technologies, content creation tools, and support infrastructure.
Serious games are one of the fastest growing segments within three markets: elearning, simulations, and commercial games, which are all still growing at exponential rates. The Serious Games Initiative (www.seriousgames.org), a Washington based effort that works to develop and track the field of serious games, currently estimates that the market for serious games is $100M and predicts that it will grow to be a billion dollar market within the next decade.
“This is exciting news when one of the companies every gamer respects is seeing bottom line potential in the serious games field. Epic’s Unreal® Engine and games like Gears of War and Unreal Tournament are part of what amazes people about commercial games and drives them to want to use games for purposes beyond entertainment,” explained Ben Sawyer, co-founder of the Serious Games Initiative. “Deals which bring the world of commercial games together with serious games are part of what the market is demanding. I’m always excited when more mainstream game companies delve into this market since it drives growth.”
Virtual Heroes will integrate the Unreal® Engine 3 into its own Advanced Learning Technology (A.L.T.) platform for simulation learning and serious games based learning. That combination will enable the company to offer even more scalable, cost effective, best-in-class products and solutions to its growing number of federal systems, healthcare and commercial clients.
“As an industry leader, we are committed to doing everything we can to advance the serious games market and to spearhead implementation of advanced learning technologies. This partnership is yet another opportunity for us to help improve the quality, realism and effectiveness of those applications,” said Jerry Heneghan, Virtual Heroes founder and CEO.
“We have successfully worked with Virtual Heroes since 2004 with regard to the America’s Army Game Project (www.americasarmy.com). VHI has the opportunity to become the market leader in the development of advanced learning technology solutions. We understand the tremendous market opportunity offered by this new genre of serious games and are excited about how VHI can accelerate growth in this market segment using Unreal Engine 3,” stated Mark Rein, Vice President, Epic Games.
Virtual Heroes will use Unreal® Engine 3 in the development of its Dynamic Virtual Human Technology™ (DVHT), a key component of the HumanSim™ product portfolio it is developing for medical education and training. The Unreal® Engine 3 multi-threaded rendering system, and 64-bit color High Dynamic Range rendering pipeline will facilitate the creation of the most photorealistic virtual humans seen in a simulation to date. It will also enable Virtual Heroes to create training and education products for several next-generation platforms including game consoles and PCs.
About Unreal Engine 3
The award-winning Unreal Engine is known for cutting-edge graphics and a best-of-breed toolset. Unreal Engine 3 is expected to maintain those features while adding massive world support, multi-processor support, next-generation console optimizations, and one of the most mature tool pipelines in the industry. Unreal Engine 3’s new toolset is designed specifically to accelerate developers’ productivity for ultra-complex, next-generation content. Additional information on Unreal Engine can be obtained at www.unrealtechnology.com.
About Epic Games
Epic Games, Inc., based in Cary, NC and established in 1991, develops cutting-edge games and game engine technology for PC and console. The company has created multiple million-selling, award-winning titles in their Unreal series and their latest game, Gears of War®, broke sales records on Xbox 360 selling more than 3 million copies worldwide in the first ten weeks and awarded overall Game of the Year for 2006 by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, Game Developers Choice Awards, GameSpot, GamePro and many others. Epic is also responsible for the Unreal Engine, which is the underlying technology for a wide range of games including, Console Game of the Year winner, “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell TM” by Ubi Soft; PC Gamer’s Game of the Year, “Deus Ex” from Ion Storm/Eidos; “America’s Army: Special Forces,” by the United States Army, and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (PC) by Electronic Arts. Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 is the current holder, and three-time consecutive winner, of Game Developer magazine’s Front Line award for Best Game Engine. Epic Games was also awarded Studio of the Year at the 2006 Spike TV Video Game Awards and Developer of the Year by Official Xbox Magazine. Additional information about Epic can be obtained through Epic’s Web site at http://www.epicgames.com.
About Virtual Heroes Inc.
Founded in January 2004, and located in Research Triangle Park, NC, Virtual Heroes Inc. (VHI), the “Advanced Learning Technology Company,” creates collaborative interactive learning solutions for the federal systems, healthcare and commercial markets. Advanced Learning Technologies leverage simulation learning and digital games-based learning paradigms to accelerate learning, increase proficiency and reduce training costs for next generation workforce development. As a global market leader in this field, VHI applications facilitate highly interactive, self-paced learning and instructor-led, distributed team training on the Virtual Heroes Advanced Learning Technology (A.L.T.) platform using the Unreal® Engine 3 by Epic Games. In both 2005 and 2006, VHI was honored by Military Training and Technology magazine as one of the industry’s Top 100 companies. Virtual Heroes is expanding its experience and success in the defense sector into the healthcare market with the development of HumanSim™, and into the commercial market with custom products and solutions. Virtual Heroes is also a proud founding member of the North Carolina Advanced Learning Technology Association (See: www.altsummit.com, www.ncalta.org).
For more information about Virtual Heroes, its products and services, please visit www.virtualheroes.com.
Gears of War and Unreal are trademarks, or registered trademarks, of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States and other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
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