Game Engines
Ongoing coverage on Game Engines.
Latest coverage
"I know how devastating it is, and my heart's with all of you": Doom's John Romero responds to id Software reportedly losing half their team
Microsoft's Xbox division is reportedly laying off approximately half of the staff at id Software, with a significant impact on the studio's technology team. Former id Software co-founder John Romero has responded to the news, expressing sorrow for those affected and emphasizing the importance of preserving the studio's historical code and assets.
Latest Xbox layoffs hit id Software as Doom: The Dark Ages' DLC launches, around half of the staff potentially cut
Xbox is implementing significant layoffs, impacting id Software heavily just as its new DLC for Doom: The Dark Ages is set to launch. Reports suggest around half of id Software's staff, potentially including most coders, may have been cut. This follows broader workforce reductions across ZeniMax studios and other Xbox-owned entities, raising concerns about the future of the id Tech engine and the studio's development capabilities.
Microsoft's dumb enough to make a new Quake game in Unreal Engine
Microsoft's Xbox division has announced significant layoffs impacting id Software, raising concerns about the future of the Quake franchise. The author speculates that Microsoft might develop a new Quake game using Unreal Engine 6 instead of id Software's proprietary idTech, potentially alienating long-time fans and disregarding the studio's legacy.
EVE Online's cross-platform game engine framework is now fully open source
Fenris Creations, the developer of EVE Online, has fully open-sourced its cross-platform game engine framework, Carbon. This release allows developers, players, and researchers to access the technology behind EVE Online's persistent universe and player-driven economy. The Carbon framework includes modules for physics simulation, graphics, networking, and more, and Fenris Creations will continue to use it for EVE Online and the upcoming EVE Frontier.
EVE Online studio Fenris follows through on yearslong promise to make its in-house game engine fully open source
Fenris Creations, the studio behind EVE Online, has fully open-sourced its in-house Carbon Engine, making its repositories available on GitHub. This move fulfills a long-standing promise and contrasts with the industry trend towards proprietary engines like Unreal Engine. The engine powers EVE Online and EVE Frontier, while Fenris's new FPS project, EVE Vanguard, uses Unreal Engine.
What to do about Game Engines with Rez Graham
This article discusses the implications of game engine choices, particularly focusing on Unity's controversial per-install fee policy change in late 2023. It explores the downsides of relying on third-party engines and the importance of valuing human assets within game development companies, referencing Nintendo's past leadership under Satoru Iwata as an example of prioritizing employees.
Fenris Creations Opens Carbon Engine to the World
Fenris Creations has fully open-sourced its Carbon game engine framework, the technology behind EVE Online and EVE Frontier. This release provides developers, players, and researchers access to the engine's code, including its physics simulation and graphics modules, which have supported persistent online worlds for over two decades. The company aims to foster transparency and collaboration for the development of future virtual worlds.
Eve Online's Carbon engine is now open source: Fenris Creations explains why
Fenris Creations, formerly CCP Games, has open-sourced its Carbon game engine, the technology behind Eve Online, making it available on GitHub under permissive licenses. The move aims to foster community trust and innovation, allowing developers to build anything with the engine, including their own MMOs. Fenris Creations also plans to open-source its internal LLM tools gateway in the coming months, reflecting a broader industry shift towards AI integration.
"I would fail, and here's why I would fail" Why Baldur's Gate 2 co-lead turned down Hasbro's request to make Baldur's Gate 4
James Ohlen, co-lead designer of Baldur's Gate 2 and lead at Archetype Entertainment, declined Hasbro's request to develop Baldur's Gate 4. Ohlen cited the immense success of Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 and the technical challenges of replicating its engine and tools as reasons for his refusal, preferring to focus on his studio's upcoming game, Exodus.
I've played countless Doom engine games, so believe me when I say this one that combines the FPS with JRPG combat…
End of Starchild, a free standalone game built on the Doom engine by Em Essex, is a highly stylish and fast-paced bullet hell shooter with a surprising JRPG component. The game features distinct levels, a unique save system, and a hidden second game called Sonata, offering significant depth beyond its initial six levels. Despite its challenging nature, it is recommended for its layered design and innovative blend of genres.
The Elder Scrolls 6 Director Says “We Know We Need to Get it Right”
Bethesda director Todd Howard stated that The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently the studio's largest project, with the majority of the team working on it. He emphasized the importance of getting the game right due to the long development time. Xbox's Matt Booty also confirmed the game is progressing well and will be revealed at the appropriate moment, noting it utilizes the Creation Engine 3.
Final Fantasy 7 Revelation director explains why the game is sticking with Unreal Engine 4 instead of 5
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi explained the decision to stick with Unreal Engine 4 instead of upgrading to Unreal Engine 5. Hamaguchi stated that switching engines would have significantly extended development time, which was not ideal from a business or player perspective. The team was able to implement a Nanite-like rendering system within Unreal Engine 4, achieving comparable visual quality.
Game and Mod Development
Epic Games announced Unreal Engine 6 and Unreal Engine 5.8 at State of Unreal 2026, alongside a $1 billion payout to developers using Unreal Editor for Fortnite. The event highlighted advancements in game development tools and creator economies.
Morning Consolidation
Rockstar Games has revealed the pre-order date and cover art for Grand Theft Auto VI. Separately, Epic Games has introduced a significant update to Unreal Engine 5, claiming it runs twice as fast on the Nintendo Switch 2. The article also briefly mentions the game Once Human.
Major Update Expands Character Expression with Support for "Live2D®" Animated Illustrations!
SmileBoom Co.Ltd. has released version 2.5 for RPG Developer Bakin, introducing support for Live2D animated illustrations to enhance character expression. This update also includes shader management tools, mouse cursor customization, and a new beginner tutorial. Alongside the update, a "SmileBoom Early Summer Sale 2026" is offering RPG Developer Bakin and its DLCs at discounted prices, with the game itself available at a 30% discount.
Roadmaps and Plans
Rockstar Games is adding a new heist to Grand Theft Auto Online in July. Separately, a new idea for Unreal Engine 6 suggests that Fortnite skins could be usable across other Unreal Engine games and vice versa.
Quoteworthy
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that Unreal Engine has the potential to disrupt the gaming landscape dominated by platforms like Roblox. He believes Unreal Engine offers a more robust and versatile solution for game development.
Evening Patches
Several games have received new updates, including Brawlhalla with its new Legend Aurus and Battle Pass Classic 8, Pale Coins version 1.1.3, and UnderMine 2's Lunar Magic Update. Unreal Engine 5.8 is also mentioned in relation to these patches.
Epic Games Gives Us An Exciting First Look At Unreal Engine 6
Epic Games provided an early look at Unreal Engine 6, with Marcus Wassmer detailing its aim to unify Unreal Engine 5 and the Unreal Editor for Fortnite into a single platform. The engine will feature improved rendering, reduced cook times, tighter iteration loops, and a new framework based on the Verse programming language, promising to enable a new generation of collaborative game development.
'[It] is going to change a lot about how games are made': Epic merges Unreal Engine 5 with Unreal Engine for Fortnite to give game devs around the world Unreal Engine 6
Epic Games is merging Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Engine for Fortnite into a single package, Unreal Engine 6, set for an early access release in late 2027. This unification aims to simplify game development and cross-platform deployment, with Rocket League serving as the initial showcase. The new engine will also feature Verse as its primary scripting language and integrate AI tools for development tasks.
