[Sgt. Bozzer]

Microsoft to buy Epic Games for $1 billion?

The latest issue of Gamepro magazine says that “Microsoft will buy Epic Games for $1 billion this summer.” MS paid Epic millions of dollars to develop 'Gears of War' in November of 2006 for the Xbox 360 platform. The two companies will be exhibiting at the GDC side-by-side this week and there are rumors that Epic may announce a Gears sequel at the show. If MS acquired Epic it would gain the rights to the Unreal Unreal game engine which is used to make games for many platforms including the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

“Epic Games is one of the few highly regarded indie developers … partly for their games but mostly for their Unreal engine technology,” Moses wrote. “Microsoft has lots of cash on hand, and in buying Epic, could collect royalty rights for Unreal technology across other platforms.

“Given Epic’s tight partnership with Microsoft, along with widespread use of the Unreal engine, and this move makes a lot of sense, particularly in light of [Electronic Arts]’s Pandemic/BioWare merger [as] well as the Activision/Vivendi shockers.”

http://www.maxconsole.net/?mode=news&newsid=25303