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Following a not-E3 season that’s felt about 17 years long (and is still ongoing, apparently? Please nobody ask us what month it is), both Microsoft and Sony have finally shown their hands – or, rather, consoles. But while last week’s PS5 event showed off a plentiful lineup of PlayStation 5 games, and even the look of the machine itself, there wasn’t much of a sense of the true power and potential behind it. It’s the early days in the next generation, after all: we won’t see what these new consoles are really capable of for a good few years yet.
It was the announcement of Unreal Engine 5 weeks earlier that gave us the clearest glimpse at that future, with a breathtaking tech demo that pushed PS5’s architecture to its limits. We had to find out more. In E347, which goes on sale today, we catch up with Tim Sweeney and the rest of the team over at Epic Games to delve into all the details of the revolutionary new engine. In our conversations, we uncover the company’s ambitions for a future in which game devs are freed from the drudgery of polygon counts and LODs – and how it helped shape the very architecture of Sony’s new console with its vision for an industry that’s more empowered, and united, than ever before.
Naturally, we felt the occasion merited a special cover treatment, and so print copies of E347 feature a full Mirri board cover that’s practically as luminous as Unreal Engine 5 itself. Think this, but shinier:
Once again, due to the ongoing pandemic, you’ll only find this issue online. We’ll be back on shelves next month.
Here’s a glimpse at what else awaits inside E347.
Glock rockin' beats
If you’ve had half an eye on Twitter lately, you’ll have noticed that rhythm shooters are having a bit of a moment. We talked to the creators of Gun Jam and BPM: Bullets Per Minute about why this nascent genre is so challenging and rewarding to work with, and what it’s like to find yourself making a game with a similar premise to someone else.
Artists Assemble
Independent, political and inspiring: collectives seem more and more like one of the most viable futures for videogame development. In this feature, we meet just some of the talented people banding together to protect, support, and creatively challenge one another.
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