Square enix using unreal engine 3.0 from epic games

Square Enix today revealed that it has acquired a license for Epic Games' popular Unreal Engine 3.0. The majority of next-generation games are already powered by this popular middleware tool, which is used to develop games for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms. Square Enix aims to utilize the Unreal Engine 3.0 in order to achieve improved quality and effiency in the process of developing next-generation software.Square Enix itself has already developed the so-called White Engine, a proprietary engine powering Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Versus XIII, and other future PlayStation 3 titles. Whether the company will use Epic's Unreal Engine 3.0 for its mysterious next-gen MMORPG remains to be seen, though.

News on Final Fantasy XIII and final fantasy advent children advance

In the newest issue of Famitsu, Square Enix's corporate executive Shinji Hashimoto and character designer Tetsuya Nomura talked about their company's plans for 2007. Hashimoto said 2007 would become a happy year for PlayStation Portable owners (in Japan, at least). So far, Square Enix plans to release Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Tactics: Shishi Sensou, Final Fantasy I and II for Sony Computer Entertainment's Playstation Portable this year. It remains to be seen whether Square Enix will bring even more happiness in the form of more titles to PSP, though.Meanwhile, Tetsuya Nomura said he and his team plan to release a total of five titles in 2007. Out of those five, four projects, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix + for PlayStation 2, Subarashiki no Sekai for DS, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII for PlayStation Portable, and Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete have already been announced. As for the fith, still unannounced game, Nomura would only say: "If we don't release it in 2007, its meaning will fade." Nomura's remarks also imply that Final Fantasy XIII will only hit Japanese retail store shelves in 2008.