Mark Rein on PS3, PhysX and Pwnage

The Future of Epic

So, as the interview started to draw to a close and the Omega Sektor security guards started to get curious about why the guy chatting to their VIP was guzzling all the beers in reach, I wanted to clear up a few more things.

First on my mind was the Gears of War movie which has been rumoured about for a while. Unfortunately, all Mark would say about that was that he couldn’t say anything about it.

“The wheels of Hollywood turn at a different speed to the wheels of Silicon Valley I’m afraid, so I can’t really comment. People don’t seem to realise what’s going on. Yeah, there’s a script – but we’re still haggling over whether to sell the rights.”

The sticky topic of Uwe Boll came up and whether or not he’d be offered the chance to direct.

“You know, people always mention that guy. I feel kind of sorry for him, but then again I’ve never seen any of his movies, so…”

The security guards and PRs were circling now – ready to swoop in and pluck this crazed journalist from the showroom floor and move the next guy in. There was barely enough time for me to grab an eighth free t-shirt and a bottle of beer, let alone ask another question – but somehow I managed it.


I asked Mark about the future for Epic; what they were working on next and what he thought about the state of games today. Most importantly, I wanted to know if Unreal 3 was a possibility and if, as with Unreal Tournament 2003 and 2004, the new game would be quickly succeeded.

“Well, I don’t really know what we’ll be doing next. The great thing though is that engine is really popular. Just earlier today I was looking at some work done by a company based here in Birmingham which is really fantastic – the guys at Swordfish Studios are doing some really interesting things with it.”

“I know we’ll be doing some map packs and so on later, but there’s definitely no plans right now for an Unreal 3 game. Will we have new IPs? Sure, but not right now.”


And that was it. Although I’ve tried to bring a nice and rounded finish to the article, the simple reality was that the interview was cut short right there and I was quickly replaced by another journalist looking for a scoop, who sat in my seat before it could even cool down (or dry – I told you I was scared!).

Over my shoulder I could hear Mark still talking in his fantastically enthusiastic and passionate way – letting the world know his opinions. I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or The New Guy, but as I was escorted back to the show floor I could hear him talking about BioShock and how awesome he thought it was.

Meanwhile, I crept upstairs into the PlayStation 3 room to try the current build of that version. Was it any good? Yes, it was utterly excellent – but you’ll have to wait for the full review if you want to know the specifics.