Codemasters and Their Big EGO
What was Neon is now the EGO Game Technology Engine.
Published: December 6, 2007
To go and name your multi-platform middleware technology EGO takes a big... well, you know. No, it's not like Codemasters completely ditched the name Neon in favor of THE GREATEST GAME ENGINE EVER CREATED AND WILL EVER BE CREATED IN THE HISTORY OF TIME®©™, but EGO isn't exactly humble. Then again, after oohing and ahhing over the tech behind DiRT, maybe a little chest beating is in order.
Codies has finally settled on a proper name for their tech, and with the name change comes a formal announcement that the EGO Game Technology Engine is technically a full step up from the work that was put into Neon (an engine that was co-developed with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, for those curious). The EGO Engine is being brought to bear on the development of both Operation Flashpoint 2 and the next-gen entry to the Race Driver franchise dubbed simply GRID (if you haven't seen the screens of it yet, click that link and get to lookin' -- the game is amazing looking).
"Officially naming the EGO Engine takes our middleware from having a project title to becoming a tech brand," explains Gavin Cheshire, VP at Codemasters Studios. "Developing the engine, even through its initial phases, has been lengthy and a major investment for Codemasters. Not every third-party is in a position to devote resources to such an ambitious project and stay competitive. However, at Codemasters, we've invested in the technology and the support infrastructure to ensure all titles have an impressive and competitive edge."
"With the EGO Engine we have technology that is specific to our needs and one that doesn't force us to compromise," adds Bryan Marshall, Codemasters Studios' Chief Technology Officer. "Particularly for Operation Flashpoint 2, we simply could not fulfill the ambitions we have for the game with any off-the-shelf middleware; certainly not one that enabled us to develop across the major fifth generation consoles simultaneously with PC, rather than as an afterthought, and no one was doing that."
"We made significant investments in our own cross-platform, multi-genre development solution in anticipation of the next generation console transition," finished Codies CEO Rod Cousens. "Now we are in a position to rev mature middleware technology to get the most from today's leading game systems. The EGO Engine is already making its mark on the industry with award-winning, multi-million-unit selling titles."
If the stills of GRID and Flashpoint 2 are any indication, Codemasters could well have built for themselves one of the pre-imminent next-gen engines, and whatever the name, we can't wait to see what it's going to pump out next.
Codies has finally settled on a proper name for their tech, and with the name change comes a formal announcement that the EGO Game Technology Engine is technically a full step up from the work that was put into Neon (an engine that was co-developed with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, for those curious). The EGO Engine is being brought to bear on the development of both Operation Flashpoint 2 and the next-gen entry to the Race Driver franchise dubbed simply GRID (if you haven't seen the screens of it yet, click that link and get to lookin' -- the game is amazing looking).
"Officially naming the EGO Engine takes our middleware from having a project title to becoming a tech brand," explains Gavin Cheshire, VP at Codemasters Studios. "Developing the engine, even through its initial phases, has been lengthy and a major investment for Codemasters. Not every third-party is in a position to devote resources to such an ambitious project and stay competitive. However, at Codemasters, we've invested in the technology and the support infrastructure to ensure all titles have an impressive and competitive edge."
"With the EGO Engine we have technology that is specific to our needs and one that doesn't force us to compromise," adds Bryan Marshall, Codemasters Studios' Chief Technology Officer. "Particularly for Operation Flashpoint 2, we simply could not fulfill the ambitions we have for the game with any off-the-shelf middleware; certainly not one that enabled us to develop across the major fifth generation consoles simultaneously with PC, rather than as an afterthought, and no one was doing that."
"We made significant investments in our own cross-platform, multi-genre development solution in anticipation of the next generation console transition," finished Codies CEO Rod Cousens. "Now we are in a position to rev mature middleware technology to get the most from today's leading game systems. The EGO Engine is already making its mark on the industry with award-winning, multi-million-unit selling titles."
If the stills of GRID and Flashpoint 2 are any indication, Codemasters could well have built for themselves one of the pre-imminent next-gen engines, and whatever the name, we can't wait to see what it's going to pump out next.